Plans to bring a 200-year-old Renfrewshire church back to life are one step closer to being realised following a near £200,000 cash injection.
Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust has been awarded £198,000 to further develop its proposals to transform the former Lochwinnoch Parish Church into a village hub.
The money, handed over by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will help cover the purchase of the building as well as developing a feasibility study and drawings for potential future uses for the facility.
The Grade A listed church, built in 1806, has deteriorated since being closed by the Church of Scotland in 2020 and is now up for sale.
Fearing the iconic building could be lost to the community, the village trust has embarked on ambitious plans to take ownership of the building and create a multi-use hub to meet the needs of all members of the community.
Diarmid Harris, chair of the Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust, said: “The grant will fund the development phase of the restoration of our beloved parish church which we hope will realise our ambition to reinstate our kirk at the heart of our community.
“The church has been a central part in many people’s lives in the village and sadly closed a number of years ago but we wish to do something about that and resurrect it to be a building at the centre of our community.”
Diarmid continued: “To be a place for our children to thrive in, a place to be married, perhaps, a place to be thought of at the end of your life, a place for the community to enjoy the arts, to sing, to dance, to celebrate.”
Incredibly grateful to the lottery for the award, Diarmid added: “Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust is delighted to have been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
“National Lottery players have enabled the community and the people in our community to access this building again so it’s a building for people paid for by the people.”
The grant adds to an earlier financial award of £233,500 from the Scottish Land Fund. The two sums combined mean the trust can proceed with the purchase of the church.
Consultants will also be hired to look in detail at what needs to be done to help the group achieve the ideas that came from a community consultation held last year.
Proposals from those surveyed included possible child care provision, a concert venue for local and touring acts and a space for the community to come together for annual celebrations and special occasions.
And while the building will no longer be operated by the church, it is hoped the space could continue to play a role in key milestones in people’s lives like weddings, funerals and christenings.
Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Lochwinnoch, said he was delighted to learn that the church will remain an asset for the community to enjoy for many years to come.
He said: “I think it was a vital step and an important step forward for the village. It’s in the conservation area of Lochwinnoch which is important.
“There is a lot of history and heritage in the village and there’s a definite demand, I think, from the people of the village that we want to see it put into some purposeful use so it’s of benefit for the future.”
The church is one of eight places of worship which will this year benefit from over £1 million of heritage lottery funding being distributed.
Crucially, for all of the recipients receiving this “developmental funding”, many millions more could also be made available to help communities implement their restoration plans. For Lochwinnoch Community Trust, that could be in the region of £1.9m.
Eilish McGuinness, who is chief executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, commented on the importance of the cash awards and said: “Places of worship are some of the UK’s most cherished historic buildings and many play a key role as a gateway to our heritage and communities.
“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, these eight fantastic projects will take vital steps towards securing a brighter and more sustainable future for places of worship and reimagine how they can connect with and benefit their communities.
“We are delighted to invest in these places of worship, ensuring that their heritage will be valued, cared for, and sustained, for everyone, now and in the future.”
For more information on Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust and its projects see its Facebook page.
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