Warning as Heritage lottery funding is diverted away
Olympics cash drain ‘threatens our churches’
Published:
Churches of national importance could be under threat because of a funding drought caused by the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Kirk’s top property manager warned yesterday.
General Trustees chairman Findlay Turner said resources normally provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund were being diverted away to bankroll the event.
He said the implications for the Church of Scotland were very serious because it owns many buildings it cannot afford to maintain without outside help.
Mr Turner added that the Church usually relied on money from Historic Scotland to help pay for renovation work but this had all but dried up. He said he hoped the legacy of the Olympic Games, and the Commonwealth Games in 2014, would not be empty churches.
He added: “You cannot imagine Scotland without churches like the Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen and the Church of Holyrood at Stirling. But it is inevitable, unless money is brought forward, some of these important, historical buildings could be under threat.”
Mr Turner said the situation had already resulted in the congregation at the Kirk of St Nicholas abandoning ambitious plans to adapt the building for community purposes. He said the project had now been handed over to a trust which could open an archaeological centre and shop.
The Kirk has requested a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a son of the manse, to discuss its concerns but to no avail.
It is now appealing to Scotland Culture Minister Mike Russell for help.
No one from the Heritage Lottery Fund was available for comment.
Diversion
Mr Russell said: “Everyone supports the Olympics but what people in Scotland are against is the diversion of £150million of lottery funds from good causes in Scotland to help pay for the London Olympics in 2012.
“I understand the concerns of the General Assembly and there is considerable public and cross-party support for this cash to be released back to Scotland as soon as possible to ensure that good causes can benefit here.
“Historic Scotland, of course, works to support our historic buildings and places of worship which are among the most important and valued. We will continue to press our case for this funding to be brought back to Scotland and I urge concerned bodies to do the same.”
