A Wokingham church has welcomed a ‘vital’ grant of some £250,000 as part of major renovation plans.

All Saints Church is among those to have benefited from a £42 million fund awarded by the government to help conserve listed places of worship.

Anne King, leader of the ‘spaceforall’ refurbishment project at All Saints said they ‘could not have done’ the work without a grant to cover the VAT on repairs.

She said: “We simply could not have done the work without the VAT grant. The refund of £250,000 was essential, and, importantly for our cash flow, always paid promptly.

“We can now run concerts, community drop ins and a lively cafe as well as enjoying worship in beautiful surroundings.”

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The government’s department for culture, media and sport said All Saints was among the 4,900 places of worship to have benefited from the listed places of worship grant in 2023.

The department said £112,000 went towards restoring All Saints’ Copeman Hart organ. It also says underfloor heating was installed, as well as an accessible toilet and entrance.

All Saints says the spaceforall project is aimed at turning the church into a community space for people in Wokingham, while remaining a place of worship – with work expected to cost some £1.3 million.

Information on how to donate to the project is available on All Saints Church Wokingham’s website.