Kendal Parish Church has secured more than £3.1 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support a £4.3m conservation and improvement project, it was announced today.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the project will deliver the urgently needed restoration of the church’s fifteenth-century Tower and the Bellingham Chapel roof and create flexible spaces in the outer aisles for community use and heritage interpretation. A wide range of learning and volunteering activities will be developed around events, programmes and exhibitions. The project will help strengthen links with partner organisations, giving local people and visitors more opportunities to access the rich heritage of the church and the town.

Kendal Parish Church is Grade 1 listed and the oldest building in Kendal still used for its intended purpose. There has been a church on the site since before its Domesday book entry in 1086 and the main part of the present building dates from the 13th century. The church and its artefacts tell the story of the social and economic history of the town, including Anglo-Saxon Christianity, the Reformation, the Wool Trade, the Civil War, and the Border Regiment. Kendal Parish Church already serves as a place of worship, a vibrant community hub, and a heritage landmark with over 7,000 visitors each year.

The project will focus on carrying out capital works to remove the church from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, investment in a new family-friendly heritage exhibition, a major reworking of the heating system to cut carbon emissions, improved physical access along with a structured engagement programme for local people, and the recruitment and support of new volunteers.

The project has been developed with the support of Westmorland & Furness Council, Kendal Town Council, Lakeland Arts, Kendal College, local primary schools and the Environment Agency. Financial support is being provided by The Kirkland Trust, Benefact Trust, Trinity College Cambridge and Carlisle Diocesan Board of Finance, as well as personal donations from members of the congregation. 2

Commenting on the award, the Revd Canon Shanthi Peiris, Vicar of Kendal Parish Church, said “We are thrilled to receive this funding and are excited to be able to go ahead with implementing our plans for the church. This project captures what is so special about heritage and community in Kendal. The church has been a central feature of the town’s identity for over a thousand years and thanks to National Lottery players we are now able to play our part in ensuring this will continue for future generations. Although the building works will be significant, we are pleased that our church will remain open for worship and other activities throughout the project.”

Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting Kendal Parish Church so that they can undertake urgent works to restore and repair the Tower and Bellingham Chapel Roof of the Grade I listed building. Thanks to National Lottery players, the church will also create flexible spaces to welcome the next generation to explore the church and to safeguard its important heritage for the future.”

Notes to editors

About Kendal Parish Church

Kendal Parish Church is a historic and much-loved part of Kendal’s life. We are already a place for many—both practically and symbolically – and are recognised as a Major Parish Church by the Church of England due to our Grade I listing, our size and our significance in the area. We serve as a place of worship, a vibrant community hub and a heritage landmark with over 7,000 visitors each year. Alongside our regular services, our volunteers support a wide range of activities for local people, along with an extensive variety of musical and other cultural events.

In recent years we have invested over £500k in the upkeep of our building. However, in 2024, our church was placed on the Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register, highlighting the urgent need for action to conserve our tower and the Bellingham Chapel roof. In addressing these and other issues through this project, we have big ambitions to reach even further, deepen our community role, support local tourism and secure a sustainable future for this cherished landmark.

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About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

By 2033 we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk

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Further information

For further information, images and interviews please contact The Revd Shanthi Peiris at Kendal Parish Church on 07494 704288 and vicar.kendal@gmail.com