THE Church of the Holy Rood at Holybourne has been awarded a Hampshire County Council grant of up to £9,600 toward the first phase of its ‘Living Space’ project.

Part of Alton’s Parish of the Resurrection, The Church of the Holy Rood has been at the centre of the community for nearly 900 years. While the structure has been maintained over the years, the interior of the church is largely unchanged since the 1800s. For this historic building to continue to serve the community it now needs renovation and reordering.

Taking a lead from St Lawrence Church in Alton, which has already gone down this root, according to spokesman John Hubbard, the £150,000 Living Space project is designed to create a warm and welcoming facility by building toilets and a kitchen inside the church, moving the font which will greatly improve accessibility, and installing moveable pews. A second phase will upgrade the heating and the lighting.

“The result will be a flexible space for church and community use in beautiful surroundings that will enhance village life for decades to come,” said Mr Hubbard.

“The vision is of regular community activities taking place in the church, sharing facilities and getting the most use from this Grade II Listed building. It is a vital part of the local heritage that deserves to be preserved and renovated for the local population. One part of the project will be an exhibition celebrating the heritage of Holybourne that will attract visitors and residents alike.”

The grant was one of 15 made to community groups across the county and was announced by Andrew Gibson, the county council’s executive member for culture, recreation and countryside, at his decision day meeting on June 15.

At that meeting, Mr Gibson gave nine community grants totalling £136,210 as well as culture and community activity grants cash to six organisations amounting to £15,980 – a total of £150,000 in all.

Among the recipients were The Cross Barn at Odiham, which received £14,950 to remodel and refurbish the toilets and realign the stairs.

And the Wet Picnic Theatre Group received £3,000 to support its work with college students in partnership with the Hampshire Cultural Trust and Jane Austen’s House Museum to lead and curate a project culminating in a grand opening and outdoor performance at the Chawton-based museum in October.

In expressing the community’s thanks to Hampshire County Council for its support for the Holybourne project, Andrew Micklefield, vicar of the Parish of the Resurrection, said: “We are all delighted in the parish by the grant of £10,000 from East Hampshire toward the Living Space project. This, together with the grant of £9,600 from Hampshire County Council, means that we can prepare for building work to start in the autumn.”

And he added: “Many people have been working hard to raise the funds over the last two years. We already have £120,000 from our local appeal, grant applications, donations and parish income toward the total of this first and largest phase of the Living Space project which will cost up to £150,000. We still need £30,000 but work can start while fundraising continues.”

n The Church of the Holy Rood is part of The Parish of the Resurrection serving the villages of Beech and Holybourne, and the town of Alton. The parish also works in partnership with the Methodist Church to run services across the town, including the Anna Chaplaincy for the elderly and the Hard of Hearing Club.