Press Release: National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant
St Mary's Holme Parochial Church Council (PCC) awarded grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore Tower of Grade 1 listed St Mary's Church, Holme-next-the-Sea.
Today, St Mary's Holme PCC is announcing a £249,849 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to repair and restore the early 15th century Tower of St Mary's Church, Holme-next-the-Sea and preserve this Grade 1 listed landmark as a place of worship and community hub for future generations.
The Tower was constructed in one phase during the 15th century in the Perpendicular style and forms the south porch of St Mary's Church. The Tower is clearly visible to walkers on the Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coast Path and borders the Holme Dunes National Nature Reserve (operated by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust). It also contains the only ringing set of bells within the Hunstanton and Saxon Shore Benefice. Without this funding from the Heritage Fund, it could soon become unsafe, and the bells would be silenced forever.
We will take photographs of the renovation and repair work as it progresses and share these on our village website and St Mary's Instagram account which will feature content created by young people living and working in Holme. A short documentary film is being created by Nell Butler, resident of Holme-next-the-Sea and experienced film maker, which will chart the progress of the project with interviews from our community and the public.
Our project, being primarily a work of restoration, will have a minimal impact on the environment. We are committed to the use of sustainable material and will, for instance, re-use the lead from the existing Tower roof which will be melted down, added to new lead and recast to form a new roof.
The delivery of this project will be a learning curve for the PCC and reach further than we can now in engaging the local community. This will increase our organisational resilience and capability to undertake future restoration projects for St Mary's Church.
If you would like to know more about Holme-next-the-Sea please visit our village website: www.holme-next-the-sea.co.uk and about St Mary's Church, please visit the Saxon Shore Benefice website: www.saxonshorebenefice.co.uk
To keep up to date with our restoration project and to hear about associated events please follow @stmarysholmetowerrestoration on Instagram.
Ann Rossington, Churchwarden and Chair (while we have no incumbent during a vacancy) of Holme PCC said:
We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can restore our 15th Century Tower ensuring that our church is safe and will continue for future generations as a place of worship and a landmark in our community and beautiful setting less than one mile from the coast. I am stepping down next year after 25 years as Churchwarden and I couldn't ask for a better way to finish my term of office.
Notes to Editors
About St Mary's Holme-next-the-Sea
St Mary's, Holme-next-the-Sea is a parish within the Hunstanton and Saxon Shore Benefice, and is located on Kirkgate, Holme-next-the-Sea, PE36 6LJ. We aim to open every day from 10 am to approximately 4 pm and welcome visitors for prayer and reflection or to enjoy a cool and quiet interior which can be useful for people who have been walking on our local footpaths. We hold two regular services each month on the first and third Sundays and special services throughout the year. We are very lucky to be supported by our local community and the Help Holme Church Group who help us by donating as well as planning and delivering several events throughout the year which support the fabric and work of our Church.
www.saxonshorebenefice.co.uk · www.holme-next-the-sea.co.uk · Follow @stmarysholmetowerrestoration on Instagram
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That's why as the largest funder for the UK's heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
heritagefund.org.uk — follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Rachel Sinfield, Holme PCC member, on 07778 593836 and rachel.sinfield@outlook.com.
8 July 2026