A CHURCH rich in history has been given a grant to help it explore how to be used more by the community and extend its opening hours.

St Cuthbert's Church, in Darlington town centre, has been handed £5,600 from the National Churches Trust to put together a business plan for its future.

Market research and feasibility studies will be carried out to look out how the church can provide a place to share local heritage, tourism information and become a venue for more concerts and exhibitions.

It could also undergo an internal refurbishment to become a more flexible space for events.

Reverend Matthew Firth, of St Cuthbert's, said: "The money is so we can conduct a piece of research which is going to enable us to come up with some feasibility studies and plans to enable St Cuthbert's to engage better with the community.

"We hope to have more outside groups using the church, and to get a better interaction between St Cuthbert's and the Darlington community.

"We want it to be a church for the people of Darlington.

"We are only open a couple of hours a day between Easter and September for people to visit and we want it to come alive and be open more.

"In 1182 when this church was built there was all sorts of things happening in there for the community. It wasn't just people sitting in rows listening to sermons."

He said he would like to see arts events and music events as well as attracting more visitors to look around the historic church.

The National Churches Trust has announced grants totalling £425,000 to help secure the future of 55 churches and chapels across the country.

The grants are for essential repairs or improvements or to allow them to become more sustainable.

Urgent roof repairs were carried out to Grade I-listed St Cuthbert's two years ago after 15th century carvings were put at risk by rain pouring through the roof.

The work was part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and was essential because the church had not benefited from any major work since the 1950s.

As work was being carried out on the roof it was discovered two of St Cuthbert's windows, dating back to 1860 and made of cathedral glass, also needed urgent repairs as there was a danger they would fall out and 20 metres to the ground, potentially endangering life.

They were carefully repaired and reinstated.

St Cuthbert's was built in 1180 by Bishop Puiset and was probably completed in 1240.

The spire dates from the 14th century.