£79K grant Elim-inates leaks at church

A leaking roof will be a thing of the past for a Dewsbury church awarded a £79,000 repairs grant.

The government-funded Listed Places of Worship programme has approved financial help for Dewsbury Elim Church, whose members have also raised £25,000 themselves to allow work to begin.The Pentecostal church on Daisy Hill will have its roof coverings replaced, new gutters installed and damaged timbers fixed as part of the package.

Members of the congregation were forced to place buckets inside the building to catch rainwater during worship services after temporary repairs completed in 2010 failed to waterproof the listed structure on a permanent basis.

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The Victorian building was constructed in 1839 to mark the centenary of Methodist founder John Wesley’s visit to Dewsbury to preach, while the Elim denomination has had a presence in the town for 60 years.

The church also features an impressive memorial window dedicated to those who lost their lives in World War One.

Elim services are held on Sundays and the building is staffed and open as a drop-in for the public during the week, while also hosting Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and other community events.

The funding will allow the church to continue to function as both a place of worship and a community hub in future.

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Senior pastor Marcus Bennett said the grant would enable members to kickstart a major internal refurbishment programme.

”I am highly delighted that we have been successful in obtaining this funding as it will allow us to continue with the major refurbishment of the building we started a few years ago.

“This will then allow us to improve our toilets, kitchen, heating system and access to the building”

Only six churches in the whole of West Yorkshire were granted the windfall, which is part of a £22.9million package divided between 401 historic places of worship across the UK.

Established in 2014, the pot is administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.