St Guthlac’s Church, Stathern, has been awarded £68,560 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the conservation of the tower of the Grade II* listed church, which is suffering from the erosion of the soft ironstone walls. 
Conservation work should start this summer and last for about 14 weeks. In addition, the Church Council will be running a wider public engagement programme over the next two years, including the development of a new heritage website, public presentations and exhibitions, the development of heritage trail literature for the village and church, and the erection of story boards at two local sites of significant historical interest.
Helen Cox, Lay Chair of the Church Council, said: “We now have an opportunity to conserve the 15th century church tower for future generations whilst involving local people and visitors in appreciating the wider heritage of our village. In particular we hope that the local primary school children will be involved in developing and using the trail information.
“The conservation of the church tower marks the first stage in preserving the church for use by future generations. The church, with its historic features, has been the heart of the community for centuries and continues to be a valued public resource for celebration, prayer and comfort, impacting positively on the lives of our village community".
St Guthlac’s has also received grants for this project from the Benefact Trust, the Leicestershire Historic Churches Trust, the Jack Patston Charitable Trust, the Congregational and General Trust, the Garfield Weston Trust, and the Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons Charity.