A CHURCH north-east of Hereford has benefitted from a funding boost to help fund urgent roof and stonework repairs.

The National Churches Trust Repair Grant of £10,000 will help fund repairs at the Holy Trinity Church in Preston Wynne.

The project will ensure the church is removed from the Historic England’s Heritage At Risk register.

Standing alone in the fields, accessible only by footpaths, this small church was first built in 1727.

Andrew Marson, churchwarden at Holy Trinity church, said: “We are delighted with the support given by the National Churches Trust; this has provided us with essential funds to repair our much loved church in this small rural community where the local church provides a focus for life events, concerts and a place for regular worship.

"Our iconic and unique single cell church is unusual in its location in the middle of a field and we are relieved that it will be repaired to ensure its use for future generations.”

The project will include repairs to stonework, rainwater goods, churchyard walls, the tower roof and also a range of internal repairs.

The east wall will also be pointed, grouted and repaired to ensure no further water penetration occurs. External eaves and abutments will be repaired and all rainwater goods and flashings will be upgraded.

A notice in the church indicates that the pews in the front of the church were for the residents of named houses whilst the remainder at the back were for the poor of the village.

There is a strong suggestion that there was an earlier building on the site as significant bumps and hollows in the field leading to the church indicate a deserted medieval village. Archaeological work is being carried out to find out ascertaining whether there is evidence of a former church on the site.