Historical Worksop church to be removed from the Heritage Buildings At Risk Register thanks to restoration

St John’s Church, in Gateford Road, Worksop, has undergone a number of restoration projects thanks to grants from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The latest grant is a £121,477 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund that will go towards the repair of the church lower roofs.

The latest cash boost comes after The National Lottery Heritage Fund provided £246,835 to repair of the spire and deliver heritage projects to engage with the local community.

The Spire repair on the the Grade II listed church is now complete and the clock has been refurbished thanks to the grants.

Sue Dawson of St John’s Church Project Delivery group said: “The generosity of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and its players will allow St Johns Church to be removed from Heritage Buildings At Risk Register.

"There are ongoing plans to improve the grounds and car parking as well as other work to promote and safeguard the heritage of St Johns. This has all been made possible by money raised by the generosity of National Lottery players. Additionally donations specifically towards the lower roofs of £62,675 have been received from the church congregation, local community and other grant providers.”

The scaffolding is coming down from the spire and will be erected over, the lower roofs which have been leaking for a long time, with the congregation regularly needing to be ready with buckets to reduce flooding and limit damage to the inside of the building.

The roof repair will be completed by Pinnacle Conservation the company that has repaired the spire.

It is hoped that work on the roofs will be completed by late June 2024. The church will be able to remain open for Sunday services during the period of repairs, with appropriate safety measures.

Alongside this, a Heritage Activity Programme, funded by the initial grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is continuing.

Sue Dawson added: “We have been working with Redlands Primary School, where we engaged with Year 6 and year 1 pupils to create art projects looking at the history of the area around St Johns Church. We have delivered lessons relating to WW1 and WW2 to pupils at Gateford Park and Norbridge, sharing information about two men from Worksop whose names are on our war memorials.

"The initial research for this was started by a member of the local community who was looking into the history of his own family. A unique piece of art will be produced shortly by the young people connected with the Church: Scouts and Guides and our Kids Church focusing on the heritage of the local area and features in the Church.”

A coffee morning has been running Tuesday’s at 10am in St Johns Church Lounge to encourage local people to share their memories. Residents are encouraged to come along and share their memories or simply come along for a coffee and a chat.

A fundraising campaign was launched last year after a steeplejack inspection found the 150-year-old spire in need of urgent repairs which was estimated to cost around £170,000.