A South Lakeland church is looking forward to a drier future thanks to a £5,000 grant.
St Stephen’s Church in New Hutton was given the boost from the Armistead Wind Farm fund to help tackle its long-term problems with damp and condensation.
The problems have been exacerbated by the building being used less frequently in recent years, meaning the heating system is turned on less often and it receives less regular ventilation.
The interior has to be regularly redecorated to try to stop the building’s fabric becoming too badly damaged by condensation, but with the same problems reoccurring, the cost and time required to keep it in usable shape had been continuing to increase.
To try to find a permanent solution to the problem, St Stephen’s has been looking to install a new ventilation system in its north windows which will allow air to keep circulating around the building and reduce the build-up of condensation.
The £5,000 grant from the community fund linked to OnPath Energy’s nearby Armistead Wind Farm will allow it to get the required installation work carried out.
Once the church has properly dried out, a full redecoration will be undertaken which will help to better protect it from the elements and reduce the risk of further deterioration.
Built in the late 1820s, St Stephen’s Church is a Grade II-listed building and is named on the National Heritage List for England.
Michael Burke, treasurer at St Stephen’s Church, said: “The wind can really whip in off Morecambe Bay into the western side of the church building and the impact that this has is sadly all too visible, especially with it being occupied and heated less frequently than used to be the case.
“We do our best to keep the building’s fabric in the best possible condition, but it’s been a never-ending battle against the damp in recent years and the problems with condensation were never going to be resolved without substantial action.
“Adding this ventilation system will stabilise the situation by helping to stop water gathering in places where it can cause damage, and it will also make a big difference to the building’s appearance for our parishioners and other visitors.
“There’s simply no way that we could have afforded to get this work done without the funding we’ve had from OnPath Energy and we’re extremely grateful for their generous support in safeguarding our much-loved church’s future viability.”
Environmental and community projects in the vicinity of the Armistead Wind Farm which are interested in applying to its community fund should
email [email protected] or call 0191 378 6342 to confirm that their group or project is eligible.
