Major milestone reached in iconic Worksop church restoration project

The scaffolding is now being erected at St John’s Church in Overend Road Worksop and work is set to start in the coming weeks.

£246,835 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund was secured to repair the landmark spire at the church. Funding was also given for a Heritage Activity Programme, thanks to National Lottery players.

Restoration work will also include repairs on the iconic church clock.

Banners were handed over to display on the scaffolding last week – the first banner acknowledges the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the national lottery players and the second contains the name and logos of other sponsors and supporters as well as a drawing by a pupil from Redlands School which also helped with fundraising.

Phillip Kicks, church warden and project manager said: “At Redlands School we held a drawing competition about the spire repair to add to the banner, we had applications from over 100 pupils and the quality was very good, we did however have to pick three places. In third place was Sruthi, aged 5, in second was Olivia and the winner was David B from class 8.

"The Journey is not yet over but another major milestone has been reached and through perseverance, support and faith we have come so far.”

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. Its poor condition also found the church listed in Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

Plans for the restoration are on track and the funding will focus on restoring the spire on the Grade II listed church to ensure it can be seen across the town for many future generations.

The church is expected to remain open during the period of repairs with appropriate safety measures.

To find out more about the restoration work visit https://stjohnschurchworksop.co.uk/