Methodist Church gets £63,000 Lottery Grant

Saltburn Methodist Church, with its tower and distinctive eight-sided spire, was built in 1905 at a cost of £6,600, helped by £1,000 from the 20th Century Fund for Church Building. More than a century later, the Milton Street building’s future is again dependent on grant funding. In 2005 the building was inspected and concern was expressed that the lighning conductor might be broken. It was discovered that the lightning conductor was OK but there were serious reservations about the tower and spire. The brickwork needed repairs and there was a lot of metal corrosion. The Church is a listed building so money had to be found to pay for the repairs. The 85 church members set themselves the task of raising £109,000 to carry out the work on the spire as well as the additional pointing and guttering repairs. This time some of the cash is coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. With the grant offer of £63,000 and nearly £40,000 they have raised themselves, they are just a few thousand short of the figure needed to pay for the crucial repairs. The Church members feel that the The Heritage Lottery grant is absolutely vital as once given Lottery fund approval, other trusts tend to be more willing to give money. It is hoped the work can begin later this year.