A CHURCH in Widnes has been given a vital payout from the National Churches Trust.

The £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund the installation of a new toilet at St Paul’s church in Widnes and create a space that allows the church to serve its community.

Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice President of The National Churches Trust, said: “I’m delighted that St Paul’s church in Widnes is being helped with a £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant. The grant is an early Christmas present for the historic church and will facilitate the project and will help secure the future of this important local building.”

A total of 45 churches and chapels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the charity supporting church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK.

St Paul's was built in 1884, designed by Henry Shelmerdine as a traditional redbrick building with stained glass windows, a fine font and features in the Chancel. It is closely linked with the history of Widnes, in the civic centre of the former national centre for the Chemical Industry. 

The project will fund the installation of new toilets and a kitchen by building new entrance vestibules. There are currently no facilities at all for community events.

St Paul’s church in Widnes together with neighbouring St John’s church are partnering together as ‘Transform Widnes' towards ambitious growth targets through missional communities focusing on the “missing generation”. The project provides reordered, customised space to attract new people into the historic church.

Reverend Greg Sharples, Vicar of Transform Widnes, said: “This grant provides funds that allow us to provide a really welcoming and useable space especially for new visitors.

"We, ‘Transform Widnes’ - a strategic church planting programme - loves being able to serve our community through providing foodbanks, hot meals, parent-toddler groups and hosting groups specifically aimed at drawing isolated people together. Many of these provisions have been increasingly oversubscribed in 2020. The National Churches grant opens up a bigger, Covid-19 secure space which in turn extends our capacity to help our community.”

Linda Hughes, St Paul’s Church Warden and community meal volunteer, said: “Our building project is pretty extensive and this grant that allows our toilets and entrances to be finished, and together with our Café-Servery they contribute massively to what will be an Amazing Space. Every generation will benefit from this more welcoming and accessible facility."

Gwen Evans, St Paul’s Church Warden said: "My fellow Church Warden, Linda is spot on, Amazing Space for every generation, supporting everyone in our community. National Churches Trust has recognized this and has blessed us with its generous Cornerstone grant. We at St Paul’s church in Widnes are delighted we can continue with our much needed and extensive building project. The good news we all wanted to hear during these challenging times.”