A HUGE grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund is the ’answer to South Brent’s prayers’, and means the 900-year-old Norman church tower will be saved for future generations.

Under threat from water penetration, a £325,000 project can now go ahead that will see the imposing tower of the Grade 1 listed St. Petroc’s Parish Church given a thorough overhaul, and new LED lighting installed inside the building.

As well as nearly £200,000 from the HLF, more than £50,000 has been raised locally. Years of fundraising by the church itself has garnered an impressive £43,000, with a further grant of £9,250 from the South Brent Community Energy Society earmarked for the lighting.

Churchwarden Greg Wall, who has masterminded fundraising for the project said: ’The award of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant is wonderful news – a real answer to our prayers.

’The tower was repointed with cement mortar about 40 years ago. This was fashionable at the time, as it was seen as a way of making the tower waterproof. Unfortunately this was also its downfall, as it failed to allow the structure to breathe.

’We are in a particularly wet area of Devon, with the tower exposed to heavy rain and high winds. Water penetrating at the top of the tower becomes trapped within the walls and is unable to escape.

’More recently it has been recognised that traditional lime mortar, which has been used since the Middle Ages and does breathe, is the best material. Our architects have worked closely with Historic England to meet their specifications for the work.’

Greg, who is also chairman of South Brent Parish Council, added: ’The work will reduce the deterioration of the fixtures and fittings of the bells, enabling us to improve facilities for our bell ringers. It is our intention to establish a Bellringing Centre of Excellence, to enhance the existing facilities to teach and train ringers.

’St. Petroc’s ringers regularly win awards for their expertise and have been featured in two national broadcasts in recent years – on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Bells on Sunday’, and in the television series ‘Ade in Britain’, when Adrian Edmondson discovered the art of Devon Call Change ringing.’

St Petroc’s is recognised as having one of the best surviving Norman towers in Devon, and was built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. Work on the tower will involve removing the merlons and embrasures - crenellations - at the top to install a waterproof course, replacing them, and replacing rotten wooden joists internally.

Voids inside the tower walls will be filled by lime grouting, and all the joints between the stones in the tower repointed. Some of the work will be carried out by apprentices, so traditional skills can be passed on to a new generation of specialist builders.

With the mains electricity supply secure from damp, the opportunity will also be taken to renew wiring and lighting inside the church and install energy efficient LED bulbs.

Fellow churchwarden Cathie Pannell said: ’The design will feature a very large increase in the light level available at the chancel step and in the choir, which will enhance concert and drama performances, and with all lighting independently dimmable we will be able to achieve much more atmospheric conditions for performances.

’The present lighting level is very poor and the high level lamps present a significant health and safety issue when they need to be replaced. The LED lights will last much longer at a lower running cost and can be replaced as part of a regular maintenance programme.’

Work is due to start in early August and last six months. The tower will need to be covered with scaffolding and screening to protect it from the elements over the winter following the work.

By coincidence, locals will have the perfect opportunity to celebrate the news at St Petroc’s flower festival Magical Musicals this weekend. Organisers promise a wide range of colourful arrangements representing works from South Pacific and Singing in the Rain to Cats and Frozen.

The festival is open from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, and from noon to 4pm on Sunday, July 10, when a short concert by local singing group SASS concludes the event. It will be signposted on roads into the village, and coffee, light lunches and afternoon teas will be served in the Church Room nearby.