THE future of St Catherine’s Church, Temple, is secure after a £10,000 grant from the National Churches Trust completes the final necessary funding for a new roof.

The small moorland church has had a long and infamous history. It was originally founded by the wealthy and mysterious medieval order of the Knights Templar as a hostel for pilgrims crossing Cornwall from Ireland on their way to Holy Land, but by the 1600s it had become a lawless place and known as the ‘Gretna Green of the South West’ because couples could get married there without a licence.

It was left to fall down in the late 1700s, but was rebuilt in 1883 and reopened by the Bishop of Truro to an audience of 2,000 people.

Today the church is at the heart of a small but loyal local community and is a sanctuary for many visitors and travellers seeking calm in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of Bodmin Moor.

Thankfully the church will not be left to fall down a second time as this grant from the National Churches Trust, in addition to the £70,300 awarded to the church last year by the Listed Places of Worship: Roof Repair Fund, will now allow necessary works to finally commence on making the church watertight.

The work, which will begin in the spring, will start with stripping, repairing and re-roofing the nave, chancel and north transept before moving on to re-roof the tower and install a new drainage system to transport rainwater away from the foundations of the church.

The local people have rallied in the last year to save this special building, holding a series of community and fundraising events ranging from classical music concerts and wildlife transects, to local heritage talks and oral history events.

It has been a real community effort thanks not only to those who have taken part in the fundraising but also thanks to the Blisland Parochial Church Council and sub-group of Temple volunteers who applied for the funding.

Canon Sherry Bryan, chairman of the Blisland PCC, said: “The residents of Temple ‘rolled up their sleeves’ and set about supporting us with applications to raise the funding [that] will ensure St Catherine’s continues to serve the community and visitors from all over the world.”