National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £250,000 to £5million
Currently on the Heritage at Risk register, the Grade II listed St Nicholas Church in Wells-next-the-sea is in urgent need of repair. This project aims to improve the condition of the tower and south aisle roof, while also improving the building’s energy efficiency.
Environmental sustainability is at the core of the project with plans to:
- install secondary glazing to the windows, which will reduce heat loss by 63%
- install cycle racks to encourage greener travel and make the most of the church’s position on a popular cycle route
- carry out wildlife conservation in the churchyard, including installing bird and bat boxes
- appoint locally based contractors and use local, sustainable materials
Thanks to the eco-friendly energy installations, more people of all ages will be using the building for new activities.
Jean Terrington, Project Manager
In 2022, the project ran successful wellbeing and churchyard conservation courses with three project partners, including Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Wells Schools and Wells Community Hospital Trust.
These activities offered support for young parents and over 60s, boosting their wellbeing, and enabled primary school children to get involved in conservation days. There are plans to train volunteers in churchyard conservation.
Jean Terrington, Project Manager, said: “We are so grateful to National Lottery players who are enabling us to carry out these urgent repairs to ensure that our iconic St Nicholas Church building will be enjoyed by future generations of residents and visitors. Thanks to the eco-friendly energy installations, more people of all ages will be using the building for new activities.”
