Five churches in Suffolk are set to receive funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for urgent repairs.

St Mary's Church in Akenham, All Saints Church in Little Wenham, All Saints Church in Elmham, All Saints Church in Ellough and St Mary's in Bungay, which are all protected by The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), have all been chosen for funding.

The CCT is a national charity which cares for churches vested in them by the Church Commissioners of the Church of England. They repair, save and protect the churches and work with local communities to bring them alive again.

All Saints Church in Little Wenham, which is considered one of Suffolk’s hidden historic gems, is set to receive an £8,000 grant, but the charity need to raise another £2,000 to fully fund the much-needed work.

A spokesperson for CCT said it has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

They added: "The charity has been hit hard by the pandemic and now faces a shortfall of over £500,000 as a result.

"The grant funding requires 20% match funding to fully pay for the much needed work to the church, and CCT are now trying to raise the funding balance of £2,000 to meet the £10,000 required."

St Mary’s Church in Akenham, will receive £16,560 for urgent roof repairs. The cost of the repairs in full will be £20,700. So, The CCT will have to raise a further £4,140.

The funding has come from the £1.3million received by the trust as part of the £1.57billion Culture Recovery Fund which was announced last October.

It is hoped that all the work will be completed by the end of March.

The Churches Conservation Trust is asking for support and donations towards the repairs. If you can make a donation please visit their donation page.