The Project
About The Project
Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage.
St James’ church as the oldest church in Darwen is deeply rooted in the local area. Over hundreds of years local people have gathered to worship, live life together, care for one-another and build the community that is Darwen today. However, recently the church building has grown increasingly more challenging to repair and sustain and is now in need of urgent and extensive repairs.
The community of St James’ are determined to reverse the decline and restore the building back to the local people of Darwen. Over centuries needs for worship and community use have changed so we have be active in imaginatively thinking about our building and consulting deeply and widely with local residents and local authorities. This led us to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In 2024 St James’ church recieved a grant of £93,444 to build our organisational resilience and capacity. This has resulted in a bold vision, informed by deep community action and consultation and by the positive responses of multiple stakeholders. Indeed, this website is a product of that generous grant.
All of this work is in preparation of a large bid submission to the National Lottery for the development stage which will propel us forward to a further bid for the final delivery stage. The end of all this work will be a transformed building that renews local heritage and connects that heritage even more broadly with the diverse community.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Our Church
For hundreds of years St James’ has been central and sustaining for the people of Over Darwen. Thank to our partners at the National Lottery Heritage Fund we are exploring our heritage in depth at the moment as we prepare for extensive renovations. It is an exciting time and our church community is rising to the challenge to be even more of a blessing to Over Darwen.
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