St. Peter's Church wins major Lottery grant

This article is a little different from my normal blogs, as it relates to the present as well as the past! Since 2019, the Friends of St. Peters, an amazingly dedicated group of volunteers in Forncett, have been working to raise funds to save the magnificent St. Peter's church in Forncett, said by many to be one of the finest round tower churches in the country. At present the church is on the Heritage "At Risk" register owing to the need for urgent and extensive structural repairs.

In 2021 we secured a Historic England – "Heritage at Risk" Response Fund award of £24,000 and in 2022 we were successful in obtaining a National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) Development Grant of £33,274. These grants, along with fundraising by the Friends, have allowed us to carry out essential emergency work to prevent further deterioration of the church fabric and then to conduct a very detailed investigative survey to establish exactly what is required to restore fully the fabric of the building and take it off the "At Risk" register.

Today it is a huge pleasure to announce that our recent application to the NHLF for a full Delivery Phase Grant has been successful and we have been awarded a full grant of £631,462.

The funding will enable St Peter's church in Forncett to be taken off Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register, to deliver an exciting range of community engagement activities and to create an innovative new interpretive scheme for all ages.

The PCC, the Friends of St Peters and the local community extend enormous thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their generosity and to National Lottery players who have made the funding possible.

As well as The National Lottery Heritage Fund there have been a number of successful match-funding grant applications. The PCC and the Friends of St Peter's would like to thank The Headley Trust, Historic England, The Round Tower Churches Trust, The Geoffrey Watling Charity, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Bishop of Norwich Fabric Fund, St. John's College Cambridge, The Paul Bassham Trust and The Norfolk Churches Trust who have all given generously. In addition, village community events, including bake sales, quizzes, open gardens and barbeques have been organised with the help of dedicated volunteers, and have raised over £33,000.

It is hoped that the remedial works will start this year, after which the church will be closed while the repairs are carried out. However, the churchyard, which will host a series of 'Four Seasons in a Country Churchyard' conservation activities, will be open so that visitors can appreciate the beautiful setting of the church and its many interesting external features. Work is expected to take about 18 months and once complete, visitors will also benefit from a new Heritage & Nature Trail and 'Rook over Forncett' film, showing the rich history of the Forncetts and St Peter's Church and created in partnership with the local community.