Funding joy for Penistone Church known as the ‘cradle of the modern game of association football’

The funding comes from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, a charity that helps churches in Yorkshire to preserve and repair their buildings through offering grants for repairs and maintenance.

The funding was awarded to a range of church and chapels from all corners of the region, from Beverley to Halifax and Helmsley to Doncaster, and included Methodist chapels, an Evangelical Church, a United Reformed Church, Anglican and Catholic Churches, a Baptist and an Independent church.

One church receiving funding is St John the Baptist in Penistone, a Grade I listed building in desperate need of a new roof following lead theft in 2018. The nave of the church has been protected with a temporary covering which is starting to deteriorate. The YHCT were delighted to award £9000 towards the roof repairs.

The church is a much loved and well used community asset, hosting regular coffee mornings, a choir, the rotary club, a parents and toddler group, a craft and knitting group, along with a food bank. The local Tesco supermarket also hosts a charity lunch once a year at the church run by their staff volunteers and the church hosts a wide range of music concerts and community evets.

St John’s claims to be ‘cradle of the modern game of association football’, having had a significant effect on the development of the game in Sheffield. Many of those associated with the early development of the game are either buried at St John's or have links to family buried in the graveyard, including John Charles Shaw, the first captain of Sheffield Football Club – the world’s oldest existing club. More information about these fascinating links can be found at: www.penistonechurchfc.com/club/history.

Rev’d David Hopkin from St John’s said: “Penistone Church is extensively used by members of our community, hosting a range of activities and events including an annual art sale (Art at The Altar) and a beer festival in the Nave. The church really is a community hub and focus for both joyful and sad occasions. We hope to be able to secure its future by fixing its roof and protect its medieval structures and Tudor ceiling. "

Tom Ramsden, Chairman of the YHCT said: “Yorkshire is home to many of the most important churches in the United Kingdom: They dominate the landscape, they are vital to the life of many communities, and they are full of the treasures of our heritage. Trustees were delighted to award funding to such a wide range of churches from all across the region and are delighted to help these much loved places of worship secure their future for generations to come.”

A list of the grants awarded can be found here: https://www.yhct.org.uk/latest-grant-awards/