A PROJECT to carry out urgent repairs to a small rural grade II village church has been boosted by a £92,000 donation.

English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding has gone to St Lawrence’s Church, Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk.

It is part of a £1.44m Joint Places of Worship Scheme grant pledged by the pair to carry out repairs to 11 grade II Yorkshire churches.

At St Lawrence’s Church the funds will be used re-roof the turret, spire, nave, chancel and vestry of the 104-year-old church.

It will also go towards the repair and replacement of brickwork, gutters, downpipes, drains and gulleys.

Rev Richard Rowling, the vicar who covers St Lawrence’s Church, said: "We’re very please to have got it as the full cost of the works is £144,000.

"We applied to the groups for funding a couple of years ago and were unsuccessful and so it makes it very pleasing this time round.

"The £92,000 will not cover the full cost of the works which will come to around £144,000.

"We had an appeal to repair St Lawrence’s roof a couple of years ago which raised £17,000 but we still need to raise some more.

"We had a meeting of the parishioners and had a very positive response with lots of ideas coming forward about the fundraising.

"People have also agreed to help us from the local community for which we are very grateful."

St Lawrence’s Church was designed by architect Charles Hodgson Fowler in 1895 and it replaced an ancient church on the site.

Trevor Mitchell, interim English Heritage regional director for planning and development, said: "Places of worship remain some of our most vulnerable historic buildings.

"They often standing at the heart of our communities, so the help we have been able to give with the HLF has been crucial."

Over the last seven years the HLF and English Heritage have invested £8m under the Joint Places of Worship Scheme.

Fiona Spiers, head of Heritage Lottery Fund in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "This substantial investment will help fund the vital repairs necessary to secure their long-term futures."