A TEAM of volunteers has been formed to use a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant to provide a Darlington church with a sustainable future.

St Cuthbert's Church is one of six churches across the region to benefit from Inspired North East - a church building support scheme set up by the Church of England Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham.

The scheme has received £221,900 from the HLF to fund the team which will use their creativity and expertise to help the six priority churches develop sustainable futures.

The team will help with everything from developing business plans and looking at ways forward with repairs, to building on fundraising opportunities and new ways to engage communities in their heritage.

The project has been working with 12 other churches and they will continue to be offered a helping hand.

A training and skills programme - including web development and collections care - will also be offered to other places of worship across the North-East.

Inspired North East has worked with over 200 places of worship over the past six years, enabling them to see what works and develop models of best practice.

Peter Robinson, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne and chair of the project group, said: “This grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund is going to have a tremendous impact on the communities whose local church will be transformed and renewed for the benefit of all who visit or worship and live there.

"We’re thrilled that the grant will support us in bringing to bear a great deal of expertise and commitment on some outstanding buildings that will bring real and sustainable benefits for years to come.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund has already pledged around £106,000 to help St Cuthbert's pay for essential repair work to its roof, while the Friends of St Cuthbert’s stepped in to donate the final £11,000 needed for the work to start.

Reverend Robert Williamson, from St Cuthbert's, said the majority of the roof work had been completed.

A new boiler had also been fitted and work was ongoing to ensure this worked efficiently with the church's pipework.

The vicar said the church wanted to increase its use by the community and he hoped this money would help with this aim.

The church is hoping to provide a venue for events that would have previously taken place at the now-closed arts centre, as well as stage shows when the Civic Theatre closes for refurbishment.

The six churches will be connected by a heritage trail to tell the story of Christian heritage in the North-East.

The churches are: St Chad’s in Bensham; St Cuthbert’s in Billingham; St Cuthbert’s in Darlington; St Cuthbert’s in Elsdon; Church of St Thomas the Martyr in Newcastle and Christ Church in Shieldfield.

The 12 churches receiving support include: St John, Darlington; St Oswalds, Hartlepool; St Michael’s, Heighington; St Edmund, Sedgefield and St Thomas, Stockton.