THE "JEWEL OF LEICESTER'S CHURCHES" NEEDS SUPPORT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

The "jewel of Leicester's churches" needs support

I was pleased to hear a "significant grant" of £40,000 was made just before Christmas to St Mary de Castro, from the National Churches Trust.

Known as the "jewel of Leicester's churches", grade I-listed St Mary de Castro is nationally important: it is where King Henry VI was knighted in 1426 and it is thought the poet Geoffrey Chaucer was married there.

King Richard III's body is also believed to have lain in rest there after his death at the Battle of Bosworth.

Today, with Leicester Castle, it forms one of the important heritage areas of the city.

However, at more than 900 years old, its 80ft-tall spire is needing urgent financial attention, as Vic Allsop, of St Mary de Castro explains: "We are delighted English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund has made a significant in principal grant of £187,000 towards restoration.

"We're in phase one, the development project. Phase two is the work itself.

"When the project started and scaffolding was erected inside the spire, close inspection revealed bad news.

"Previous inspections with 'cherry pickers' and binoculars did not identify cracks in the tower that were severe, putting the potential stability and future viability of the spire at stake.

"We had to act quickly: permission was given to carry out advance works to stabilise what was potentially a serious situation for the church.

"At the churches own cost of £30,000, the spire was stabilised and made safe by introducing nine stainless steel bands inside the spire."There is a possibility the spire will need to be taken down and rebuilt, which could potentially exceed £500,000. The phase one specification will confirm the final figure.

"The damage to the spire was caused by previous restorations, inappropriate stone and concrete pointing at the top of the spire, which has put pressure on and is eroding the stonework below.

"Regular inspections take place from the internal scaffolding. In the summer, the SOS (Save Our Spire) Appeal started. We have been overwhelmed by many offers of support and it is clear St Mary de Castro has the support of the community.

"We recently launched the Save our Stones Appeal with the help of one of our sponsors Newby Castleman. This is a practical way in which people can make a contribution to the restoration of the spire."

For more information on how you can help, contact appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason on 07710 531792 or via: sosstmarydecastro@ btinternet.com

www.stmarydecastro.org.uk

SPIRE APPEAL GETS BIG BOOST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Spire appeal gets big boost

An appeal to save the spire of one of England's most historically important churches has been given a £40,000 funding boost.

St Mary de Castro's spire appeal has been given the money by the charity National Churches Trust.

Described as the "jewel of Leicester's churches", its spire is in desperate need of repair after six-metre cracks were discovered on four of its six faces.

The money donated will go towards the SOS (Save Our Spire) fund-raising appeal, which was launched in September and is looking to raise up to £500,000 to fix the damage.

Church member and appeal co-ordinator Rosemary Mason said the award was a timely boost for the appeal.

"We are one of only eight church projects in the country to be awarded one of these grants, so it's a big coup for us," she said.

"It helps a tremendous amount towards paying for essential repairs and in building up momentum behind the appeal."

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said: "We are delighted to be providing funding – a £40,000 Cornerstone grant will help fund major repairs to the church spire of this nationally significant church."

The grade I-listed St Mary de Castro is on heritage watchdog English Heritage's 'at risk' register.

King Henry VI was knighted in St Mary's in 1426 and it is also thought Geoffrey Chaucer was married there.

King Richard III's body is believed to have lain in rest in the church after his death at the Battle of Bosworth.

English Heritage has already offered to pay £187,000 towards the spire repair, with supporters raising more than £2,000 since the appeal's launch.

"The appeal is going really well," said Mrs Mason.

"Our Sponsor a Stone scheme has had a very positive take-up, with about 45 people signing up and more people approaching us every day for the chance to have their names recorded in the church archives for posterity.

"It's been a fantastic response and we're grateful to everyone for their continued support."

De Montfort University students have adopted the spire appeal as part of the university's Square Mile (Mile2) regeneration project, supporting the communities of Woodgate, Tudor Road, Fosse Road and Newfoundpool.

Mark Charlton, Mile2 manager, said: "St Mary de Castro historically served these areas and our students wanted to be part of the SOS campaign.

"We organised a fundraising carol concert in the church and students will stage a vintage clothing fair in the spring."

Work on the spire is expected to begin in the new year.

www.stmarydecastro spireappeal.co.uk