AN HISTORIC church has received hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of funding to ensure it will “survive for many more centuries”.

St Cuthbert’s Church in Darlington has received a National Lottery grant of £217,500 to repair the roof covering the nave of the church.

The project will replace the lead covering of the nave roof, the main timbers of which are thought to be around 800 years old.

The work, which will start in the next few weeks, will continue until the end of the year.

Services and events will continue to take place as normal.

In all, the project will cost £280,000, with additional funding coming from the church’s own resources, the Friends of St Cuthbert’s Church, the Government’s Listed Places of Worship grant scheme and the estate of the late Margaret Clarissa Bright.

A spokesperson for St Cuthbert’s Church said: “These vital funds, thanks to the support of National Lottery players, will help to ensure that this building will survive for many more centuries and extend further its role in the community of our town.

“Without this help there would have been a very serious danger of major damage to this architectural gem.

“A combination of traditional and modern techniques will be used to bring about a result that is true to the heritage of this beautiful building, in way that is not only cost effective, but also has the minimum environmental impact possible.”

The coverings, which were last replaced in the early 1950s, have began to fail, allowing water to start coming into the building and risking damage to the structure below.

The new funding will enable a massive temporary roof to be constructed over the church to prevent any more water entering.

Once it is in place, the lead on the roof below will be removed and taken to specialist workshops where it will be recycled, with additional lead added to the mix and returned to the site to be fixed back into position.

The Heritage Lottery Fund supports a wide variety of causes across the UK, and since its foundation in 1994, it has awarded £7.9bn to more than 43,000 projects.

Ivor Crowther, head of Heritage Lottery Fund North-East, said: “We are delighted to support St Cuthbert’s Church to carry out urgent repairs and engage new audiences with this much-loved local landmark.

“Thank you to the National Lottery players who have made it possible.”

For more information, visit hlf.org.uk