Churches across the north of Scotland will benefit from a £2.2million repair fund launched by the UK Government.
Improvements to roofs, gutters and stonework at the historic properties will be carried out thanks to the initiative first announced by George Osborne in his Budget speech last week.
Pluscarden Abbey in Elgin was one of the top recipients with a £77,000 allocation.
Yesterday, brother Michael de Klerk said the funding was “wonderful news” for the abbey and its community.
He said: “We put in an application at the end of January for essential roof repairs on the abbey — particularly, the lead flashing around the gable ends and the tower itself.
“We are hoping the funding will be around 80% of what the repairs would actually cost.
“The bits in question haven’t been properly tackled since the monks returned to the abbey in 1948, so there is quite a bit of work to do, which we were going to have to face doing anyway, but with this grant that’s very cheering.”
St Margaret’s Church in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, is also among those which have secured funding.
The Scottish Redundant Trust has owned the church since 2013.
Director Victoria Collison-Owen said: “The funding will be the first phase in starting to repair the vestry roof which is leaking very badly and we would also like to replace some beam ends that have become rotted over time by water getting into the building.”
Reverend Calum Stark, from Macduff Parish Church, said their £42,000 grant would go towards a £100,000 plan to upgrade the building.
He said: “We’ve got slates from our roof falling into the road – it’s a huge health and safety issue that we obviously want to sort out as quickly as possible.”
The Church of Scotland Midstocket Church in Aberdeen, where the roof could not cope with heavy rainfall, is also amongst those benefiting to the tune of £33,000.
The cash will help pay for additional pipes and drainage to ensure that it remains dry and secure for generations to come.
In total, the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund covers 502 churches across the UK, including 42 in Scotland.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said: “Scotland’s churches are not just hugely important historic buildings – they are also living and breathing civic spaces.
“From my own experience in the Highlands, I know they are often at the centre of community life.”