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Leeds church's £170,000 lifeline
The fight to save a landmark Leeds church which has links to the Battle of Waterloo has ended in victory after a grant of £171,000 was offered by English Heritage to repair it.
St Mark's Church in Woodhouse – the only one of its kind left in the area – is one of 600 churches built across the country to mark the Duke of Wellington's victory over Napoleon in 1815.
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Since its closure in 2001, Leeds City Council has added it to the Buildings at Risk Register due to its rapid deterioration and crumbling structure.
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The church catered for an expanding community during the Industrial Revolution, but congregation numbers dwindled during the 20th century and it struggled financially.
Trevor Mitchell, English Heritage Regional Director, said: "With its Waterloo connections, St Mark's is a landmark church and I'm pleased to see a positive outcome on the horizon.
"Utilising churches for community activities is an excellent way to breathe new life into the building and the neighbourhood it serves.
"Over the years Leeds has lost many fine churches, most built at a time when mass public worship was the norm, but then left stranded by reduced congregations and poor planning decisions of the past."
The Grade II listed landmark was bought by the local Gateway Church who hope the revamp will see it restored to its former glory.
Tony Smith from Gateway Church said: "We are thrilled that English Heritage has awarded us this significant grant to assist in the repair of St Mark's and it is an exciting step towards seeing this building and the church restored to its place at the heart of the local community.
"We would like to thank English Heritage for recognising the importance of this project, not just in terms of safeguarding the future of a rare building, but also the positive impact this renovation will have on the lives of many people in and around Leeds.
"We aim to have a section of St Mark's reopened in 2011 with many people able to enjoy and benefit from its facilities once more."
The news comes after a survey published yesterday by English Heritage showed that six per cent of listed places of worship in Yorkshire and the Humber are potentially at risk of urgent major repairs.
It estimates that 925m will be needed nationally for outstanding
repairs in the next five years.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
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