Press Release from The National Churches Trust
ISSUE DATE: 6 December 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Good news: historic Sutton cum Lound church gets grant to modernise church to meet growing demand
St Bartholomew’s church in Sutton cum Lound, Nottinghamshire, has no kitchen or toilet. If the church wants to provide any hot drinks, the church has to use kettles and disposable cups – but this is no longer meeting the need for this growing church and the community it serves.
St Bartholomew’s church is not only the only parish church for Sutton cum Lound, but for the neighbouring villages of Lound and Barnby Moor, since the churches in these villages have been closed down. The village has no pub or shop either.
For centuries, the church has met the needs of its local community, but can no longer do so without modern facilities.
Thankfully, help is on hand. The much-loved Grade I Listed church is to share in a £496,625 urgent funding pay-out from the National Churches Trust.
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for a new kitchen and toilet at this historic church. The church also receives a £5,000 Grant from the Headley Trust, on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
Not having a kitchen or toilet restricts the use of the church. But St Bartholomew’s has exciting plans for the future, which include a café church and regular coffee mornings that will help combat loneliness and isolation in the area, which is a growing issue in the local community.
These new facilities will mean a warmer welcome for visitors and locals alike and will breathe a new lease of life into this building.
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said:
“The National Churches Trust is excited to be able to support St Bartholomew’s church to enable them to install a kitchen and toilet. This will keep the church open and serving local people.”
“Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to community services or a place to worship, the National Churches Trust helps hundreds of churches each year and with the support of local people, keeps them thriving today and tomorrow.”
Janet Webb, Churchwarden at St Bartholomew’s church, said:
“To have a toilet and kitchen in church has been a long-time dream. Thanks to the generosity of the local community, the National Churches Trust, the Headley Trust and other grant providers, we will soon be able to start work on these much-needed facilities which will help the church have a much stronger presence in the community.
“These new facilities will help our beautiful church to be a multipurpose venue for the community, supporting local groups and activities, as well as regular worship for all ages.”
How the grant will help the church
An accessible toilet with a baby change facility will be installed at the rear of the church. In addition to this, a kitchen will be installed, along with a servery area.
More about the church
The church is dedicated to St Bartholomew – one of Jesus’ 12 apostles. The exact date of the church’s construction is not known, but part of the architecture of the church suggests it was built after the Norman conquest – sometime in the 12th century.
The chancel itself is a later addition; it was added sometime in the 14th century.
In 1920, a clock was placed in the tower as a memorial to the men who died in World War I.
The church has a two manual pipe organ by Brindley & Foster.
Significant help for churches
Forty churches across the UK will stay open and in good repair thanks to £497,120 of funding awarded and recommended by the National Churches Trust in this latest round of grants.
In 2023, the National Churches Trust so far made over 180 grant awards to churches throughout the United Kingdom, with funding totalling more than £1.4 million.
Moving into 2024, National Churches Trust will continue to help churches through our extensive grants programme. Grants are available for churches of any Christian denomination that are open for regular worship to fund urgent repairs, maintenance, installing toilets or kitchens and feasibility studies to develop projects. Full details are at: nationalchurchestrust.org/grants
ENDS
About the National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust is the leading national independent charity concerned with the protection and welfare of churches, chapels and meeting houses throughout the United Kingdom.
We aim to:
- Provide grants for the repair, maintenance and modernisation of church buildings
- Act as a catalyst to improve and bring more resources to the management of church buildings
- Promote the value of church buildings to the community at large
For more information, visit www.nationalchurchestrust.org
More Information
You can discover more about the church on the Sutton website here, and more current information may be available on the church facebook page here.
Want something publicising?
Don’t forget, if you have any event or item of interest for the village, just email it to webmaster@suttoncumlound.net and our resident website monitor will do his best to accommodate you. All posts go out to our increasing list of email update subscribers as soon as they’re published.
We also have the Sutton Spotlight, which goes out to every house in the village on a quarterly (ish) basis. Space is sometimes limited, so try to get your entry in early.
We’re also lucky to have a village Journalist who collates news and updates for the Retford Times on a weekly basis. Get your copy in on Monday morning for the Thursday issue.
All our website updates are also sent down the village “X formerly Twitter” feed, @SuttonCumLound. So, follow us there for these and other items in and around our area.
The Parish Council has a Facebook presence for all things of a council nature. Contact the Clerk if you want anything on this feed.