THEY’RE raising the roof in Camelford — literally!

The Heritage Lottery Fun last week announced that the town’s Methodist Church has received a grant for the restoration of the church roof.

The total costs for the project are £185,000, of which the Heritage Lottery Fund has contributed £111,000. Other grants have been received from Camelford Town Council, Cornwall Historic Churches and the Methodist Circuit. In addition, a significant amount of the funding has come through the fundraising activities of Camelford Methodist Church and the generosity of local people.

The project also includes the restoration of heritage elements within the building and telling the story of famous Methodists linked to Camelford, such as John Wesley and Samuel Pollard.

Members of the community have been involved in a roof-slate signing day and an open day, when details of the project were exhibited. In addition to a further open day, a talk by the architect and a site visit for young people are planned.

The church was built in 1837 and at the time the West Briton newspaper described it as a ‘neat building and an ornament to the town’. Situated in the centre of Camelford it is one of the buildings that give the town its distinctive character.

John Pearce, who was jointly responsible for securing the grant, along with property steward Paul Dennis, said: “We are over the moon, and the Methodist Church right in the centre of Camelford is a very important part of the town.”

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.