High Toynton church secures £200k funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Future of damaged building now safe thanks to National Lottery players and work of villagers

Residents of High Toynton are celebrating after securing more than £200,000 in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to repair and rebuild St John the Baptist Church.

The Lincolnshire village, which made national headlines back in January 2020 when its church tower collapsed, will soon have the structure back open for the community thanks to this significant financial support.

Work to make the building safe and reusable after the collapse - and two subsequent years of weather damage - will cost over £250,000, with plans for a new entrance and restored nave, built using the original stone.

With the vast majority of funding now confirmed, after two years of intense effort and fundraising by villagers and members of the church reconstruction should begin within weeks.

Alison Bell, Parochial Church Council secretary and village resident, said: “We can now embrace the potential of how our rural community might use this space. All sorts of creative ideas, alongside worship, have been aired through our ‘High Toynton Renewed’ project. The next few years will see some fascinating developments.”

The tower collapse left a scene of devastation, and prompted a search and rescue operation by firefighters to make sure no one was trapped beneath the rubble.

As surveyors investigated the safety of the remaining structure, villagers rallied to save their church, working to raise the funds needed to reopen a building that has been at the centre of this rural community for almost 800 years.

The church and surrounding wild flower church yard have played host to countless celebrations and ceremonies over the years from weddings and christenings to music festivals and village gatherings.

Now, this doubly thankful village - one of only 14 villages in England and Wales to welcome home all of its residents who served in both World Wars - has even more cause to give thanks. 

Reverend Canon Charles Patrick: “It’s wonderful news that we have received this grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We thank them, and also pay tribute to the dedication of the residents of the village, together with their many friends across the area, whose hard work and tenacity has secured this grant. We can now look forward to seeing the Church being restored over the coming months as a place of worship, and also as a versatile centre to serve the community in a host of imaginative ways.”

Rebuilding St John the Baptist church has been made possible thanks to the Heritage Fund and National Lottery players, who support thousands of good causes every year.