A MEDIEVAL gem is to be restored thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For the first time since 1881, St John’s Church in Salton is to undergo extensive work on roofs and drainage thanks to a donation of £130,000.

The church, a near perfect example of Norman architecture, has played an important role in local history, including being ravaged by the Scots in the 12th-century, and is now is visited by people from all over the world.

Churchwarden Jill Hopkins said: “From the outside you’d probably not be aware of the problems with the church’s fabric, but in wet weather buckets are needed to collect water coming through the chancel roof.”

Parochial parish council secretary Petrea Bessant said they were delighted to have been awarded the grant by HLF..

She said: “The PCC has pressed on with this essential restoration work despite not having a vicar. We saw it as crucial to start as soon as possible, to preserve this unique bit of our history and we hope that when a vicar is appointed for our parish and benefice, their desk and chair will be dry."