Peak District church’s £15,000 fundraiser for urgent works

Angela Campeau and Jason Bentley with the ancient Saxon Font that survived the bombing and attracts interest from many visitors

St Michaels and All Angels in Earl Sterndale is the hub of the village as there is no other space for the community to come together but as the internal plaster has fallen into such a poor state of repair it has been branded a health and safety risk as it is coming away from the walls.

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Church warden Jason Bentley has made it his mission to restore the church where all his family members have been christened, married and buried.

The-26-year-old said: “If we can’t repair the walls people can’t come and use the space in the church, if no one is using the space it would become more neglected and we may be left with no choice but to close and that would be awful.

“So I’m tackling the problem now so we can address the dangerous walls and get it fixed.”

The church, which seats 252, was originally built in the 14th Century, it was rebuilt in 1828 and restored in 1908. During the Second World War it was destroyed by an errant German bomb in 1941 and the restored in 1952.

Jason said: “The church has survived so much and has been such an important part of the community for hundreds of years.

The altar area and arch was the only part of the church to survive the wartime bombing undamaged

“Now we host bingo nights, soup or pie nights in the church as well as being used by the school next door as a place to do PE but the school has branded the church a heath and safety risk because of the crumbling walls.

“I know this is a lot of money but I’m looking at grants and asking businesses to support the church as well.”

To support the church click here