St Peter’s Church, Llanwenarth Citra has been awarded £91,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for repairs to the church it was announced recently. The grant, which will cover 50 per cent of the cost of the restoration work was made possible by National Lottery players, and aims to repair the roofs of both the nave and chancel which have been losing slates, allowing water to damage the interior of the church.

The Church received Development funding of £6,800 to help St Peter’s progress their plans earlier in the year and have now been awarded the funds to start the work.

"We are delighted at the news that at last we will be able to restore the roofs of this much loved historic building," said churchwarden Pip Hassall.

"The church is at a critical point, and this grant will enable us to save the building for future generations thanks to the players of the National Lottery."

"The Church is the focal point of the parish which is rural and spreads out west from Abergavenny along both sides of the A40 down to the river Usk and up to the Sugar Loaf in the north. Local support for our fundraising activities has shown how important the building is to many people in the area, not just those who use it for regular Church worship.

"The building has been covered in unsightly scaffolding and plastic sheeting for over a year now to protect the public from falling slates and to try to prevent further water damage," said Pip.

"We have lots of other activities planned as part of this work to build on the history and heritage of the wider parish, and the church can look forward with optimism to having a dry building in which to display this material," she added.

Richard Bellamy, Head of HLF in Wales, said Wales’ historic and diverse places of worship are so often at the heart of our communities. Thanks to National Lottery players HLF funds urgent structural repairs and also improved facilities and visitor information. St Peter’s Church in Llanwenarth Citra is an excellent example of how HLF can help conserve a much loved building so it can continue to serve its local community.