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Holy Trinity, Bolton-le-Sands

Worshippers have gathered at this site since at least 1094, and there is archaeological evidence of Anglo-Saxon use, including the remains of a six-foot-high preaching stone cross. The oldest standing parts of the current building are the tower and north arcade, which date from the late 15th century. The church underwent significant changes in the 19th century: the nave was rebuilt in 1813, a new chancel was constructed by the practice of Sharpe and Paley in 1846, and a major restoration by Paley and Austin in 1880 involved widening the north aisle and removing the galleries.
In recent years, the church has undergone substantial restoration and modernisation:
• Roof and Fabric: Following a lead theft in 2017, the “Raise the Roof and Open the Door” project secured a £214,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to repair a leaky roof and address major areas of dry rot.
• Accessibility: Improvements included adding automatic glass doors to the traditional porch for disabled access and installing an accessible toilet and kitchenette in 2020.
• Artifacts: The restoration funding also facilitated the public display of historic Anglo-Saxon and Viking stones within the tower area.

Historic buildings need an enormous amount of care and maintenance.

They also need champions, people to encourage their use, and promote their existence.

Churches, chapels and meeting houses are generally cared for and managed by volunteers (with input from clergy, where they are in office). They receive no government funding (unless they receive project specific grant funding), and rely heavily on voluntary donations.

There are many skills that exist in the communities around our church. Whether it is making tea or filling in funding applications, writing newsletters, cutting the grass or organising an event such as an art exhibition. These are all important if Holy Trinity is to remain a vibrant part of the future of a community, and a symbol of its rich heritage.

Holy Trinity needs friends.

WHY: for the love of churches…
People love our church. It may be where they worship. But, it is also a symbol of the local community, past and present, , where they catch up with friends at regular coffee mornings, a beautiful building they walk past on the way to school or a place for a moment of peace and reflection in a busy world. It is also a reminder of home for those who have moved away.
It could be one, or all of these things.

We do not know all the people who have an interest and care for our church. But they are out there, and we are looking for those who would lend a hand or share their skills to help secure and protect what they see as their church.

Why: for your church
We want to start a “Friends Group” who will give our church a way of engaging with the world around us.  An interested and likeminded group of people to be a caring and practical part of our church life. The enthusiasm, commitment and local knowledge within our community is invaluable. It is also way of saying that the church building is not just for the congregation, it is there for the community (as medieval churches were originally).

The advantages to Holy Trinity are many, but a Friends group can:
• help to involve new people with a range of useful skills and experience (which may be lacking within the congregation)
• help with practical tasks (by volunteering time and labour)
• help secure grant funding (by being able to access types of funding not available to the church, and by showing engagement with the community)
• help with local fundraising (by reaching more local people)
• bring new energy and thinking (which cannot be underestimated to maintain and enhance our ancient and beautiful church)

Why: For our community now and in the future.

Historic buildings are an important part of local identity. People associate with buildings, they give structure to our environment. Large historic buildings give a community an iconic structure, a symbol in which great pride can be invested and can provide a space where people can come together.  The “Friends of Holy Trinity” group will provide a means for local people, who may not be part of the worshipping community, to be involved in supporting what is an important building for them. There is a great passion and energy for buildings and this should be encouraged wherever possible. There is plenty that can be done and the possibilities are only limited by the energy and imagination of those involved.

Our Latest Challenge!

Tower roof repairs, financial implications.

In 2022 an annual external report identified that the lead on the tower roof would be needing attention. In 2025 a fabric report gave us an update on the condition of the tower roof . The estimate for the work of £37,327.50 + VAT. There are currently no contingencies within the price estimate so it would be prudent to budget for a figure of, say, £40,000. We will be able to obtain reimbursement of the VAT via the DCMS Listed Places of Worship Scheme on the assumption that the scheme will be renewed from April 2026.

It is hoped that the project will be financed partly by grant funding and partly by the funds that we hold on Holy Trinity Fabric and Capital Reserves. We have already secured a grant of £5,000 and this currently leaves a shortfall of £5,000 in round figures if we use the whole of our Fabric and Capital Reserves.

However, if a large proportion, or even the whole, of the Reserves are used there would be potentially adverse effects on other areas of our finances.  We therefore need to look to other areas of fundraising.

We plan to launch an appeal to the wider community in the village, as we did for previous roof repairs, so that we retain flexibility to pay for future unexpected costs, and our existing ‘wishlist’ of projects.

For more information contact [email protected]

 

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