CUSTODIANS of an historic Haworth building are celebrating securing a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)

They have confirmed that Haworth Parish Church has now received a sum of £204,600 from the fund for its north roofs repair project.

The costly scheme aims to restore and repair the north-facing roofs on the Main Street parish church, which has Brontë family connections.

The work is scheduled to start on April 4 next year, and is expected to take three months to complete.

A spokesman for the church said: "Thanks to National Lottery players, the project will make the church's roof fit for purpose once again so that it can continue to serve its community through into the twenty-second century.

"Repairs to the south-facing roofs and tower were completed in July 2012.

"This project, which will involve replacing the existing slates with fresh slates sourced from Cumbria, will enable the church to continue not only services of worship but staging concerts, exhibitions and community events.

"And as part of the funding package the Friends of the Brontë Church will be offering training to volunteers to train as tour guides."

The parish church regularly stages choral events, big band concerts and other musical gatherings.

It also works closely with Haworth Primary School and the Rotary Club of Haworth and Worth Valley to stage important events in the educational year, as well as international awareness campaigns.

The church is one of the most popular wedding venues in this part of West Yorkshire.

Rector of Haworth, Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith, said: “We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support.

"Haworth Parish Church has played an important role in so many aspects of village life for hundreds of years, and it’s great to know that we are a step closer to preserving it for another century.”

Explaining the importance of the HLF support, Fiona Spiers, head of Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire & the Humber, said: “Yorkshire’s historic and diverse places of worship are so often at the heart of our communities.

"Haworth Parish Church is an excellent example of how HLF can help conserve a much loved building so it can continue to serve local people of all ages."

The church dates from 1879 and was built to replace an earlier church on the same site which had become unsafe and unsanitary.

The foundation stone of the present church was laid on Christmas day in 1879 by Michael Merrall, a mill owner who contributed £5,000 of the £7,000 needed to complete the building.