A South Lakeland village church can now offer a warmer welcome thanks to a £1,000 grant.
St Peter’s Church in Mansergh, near Kirkby Lonsdale, had been looking to replace a series of old pew heaters to help ensure the 19th century building remained a comfortable place for people to spend time in the colder parts of the year.
The District Church Committee, responsible for managing the upkeep of the church, applied to the community benefits fund linked to OnPath Energy’s nearby Armistead Wind Farm for support for the project, which would be added to the money available from its own resources.
Now, a £1,000 grant from the fund, which provides grants to help make a positive, long-term difference to voluntary groups, environmental projects and community facilities in the area, has allowed the project to move forward.
Eight new, large pew heaters have been installed which will keep worshippers warm while they’re attending church services.
It’s the second recent grant that St Peter’s has received from the Armistead Wind Farm community fund, with a £6,996 grant given last year enabling the committee to have the inclined 40m concrete path up to the church door repaired in order to ensure the building remained accessible to older worshippers and those with mobility problems.
Built in 1874, the Grade II listed St Peter’s Church sits in one of eight parishes across South Lakeland which together form the Rainbow Parish Community.
Yvette Burchnall, district church committee member at St Peter’s, said: “The pew heaters are designed to keep the people sitting close to each one warm, rather than to heat the building as a whole.
“It’s a practical way of making it more comfortable for parishioners who might be sitting in them for some time, and more manageable for some of
the older members of our congregation to attend our services.
“We replaced some antiquated heaters a few years ago, but only had the money then to bring in around half of the new ones that we needed, meaning that not everyone was able to get the benefit of them, and we’ve been keen to fill in the gaps ever since.
“We’re constantly trying to raise money for different projects within the church, and with an old building like St Peter’s, there are always priority repairs and upgrades to which we need to allocate our limited resources.
“OnPath Energy’s continuing support for the church is especially important and very welcome, and the difference that the new pew heaters have made to the environment we can offer is very clear.”
Other local beneficiaries from the Armistead Wind Farm community fund include Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, New Hutton Institute, Mansergh Parish Meeting, Old Hutton Public Hall and the Bendrigg Trust.
Environmental and community projects in the vicinity of the Armistead Wind Farm which are interested in applying to its community fund should
first contact the fund manager via apply@onpathcommunityfund.co.uk or on 0191 378 6342 to confirm that their group or project is eligible.
