Members of the Friends of All Saints gathered at the church to mark this important occasion, following the five years of planning and fund-raising with three months of repair work. It was the first chance to see the changes without the scaffolding and steel sheet cladding obscuring the view.

Jean Key, churchwarden, said: "This is a major achievement. We have waited for this moment for such a long time. We will no longer have to worry about rain dripping on people sat inside. We are so grateful to those who have helped with the funds needed for this work."

The funding for this phase has come from WREN (£75,000), Wolfson Foundation (£10,000), Marshall's Charity, Lincolnshire Churches Trust, Diocese of Lincoln and HLF.

Phase 2 will start at once with the full reordering of the interior of the church. This involves a new level paved floor, underfloor heating, new sound and lighting systems, extensive re-plastering and redecoration This should be completed by April 2015.

[quote=Jean Key, churchwarden]"We are so grateful to those who have helped with the funds needed for this work."[/quote]

The church will be re-opened for regular use in May/June. However, due to the funding gap which has appeared in the budget, the Phase 3 works for the project, which includes the new extension for the kitchen and toilets, will not be completed at that time. The church is still raising money for this and other works. Already over £1million has been obtained but a further £200,000 is needed.

Notes to editors

All Saints' Church, Winterton is the medieval parish church for Winterton. There are regular Church of England services but also a weekly Roman Catholic mass. There is an extensive programme of concerts and coffee mornings each year and the church has always opened for visitors on Wednesday afternoons. The church closed in January 2014 in preparation for the capital works programme which began in July. This will provide new toilets and a kitchen and a reordered interior with new heating, lighting, seating and heritage interpretation together with extensive repairs and conservation.

Further information

Robin Shawyer, Chair of the All Saints Forward group, on tel: 01724 734 285/07768 121 510, or email: rdshawyer@gmail.com.