A LOCAL landmark has been saved for future generations by a National Lottery grant of more than £300,000.

The Parish Church of St Thomas and St John in the centre of Radcliffe is riddled with rot and needs major repair work.

Without refurbishments the Blackburn Street church would have faced serious structural problems in future years. The cash will be used to give it a new lease of life.

Mr Terry Atherton, a churchwarden who masterminded the successful bid, said: "We are very pleased. This money preserves the church into the next century for the people of Radcliffe."

The £303,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund will be spent on reroofing the church, eradicating dry rot, repairing masonry, repainting, and installing a new heating system.

The wooden floors inside the church will also be refurbished.

Mr Atherton, who spent six months working on the bid, added: "The town centre would have been that much poorer if the church had been lost. As well as being a focal point of worship for the town, it's an architectural landmark."

"The grant means the lottery fund has accepted that the church is an important building historically and architecturally."

The final bill for the renovations will be around £400,000 and the church members will raise the rest themselves.

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