A CHURCH which embarked on the biggest restoration project in its history nearly two years ago has received a £107,000 boost.

Members of St James the Great Church, in the Albert Hill area of Darlington, announced last night that it had been successful in its application to English Heritage for a grant to repair the crumbling roof.

The roof has not been renovated since the church was built 126 years ago. Some of the grant will also be used to restore the church's west window.

In October 2001, church members announced a restoration programme to mark its 125th anniversary.

Since then, workers have renovated two stained glass windows, installed a sound system and introduced an induction loop for the hard of hearing.

The church organ has also been upgraded and stands as a memorial to David Garrood, 61, the church organist, who died on December 29.

Father Ian Grieves, vicar at the church, said: "We are absolutely thrilled. The money will be used to complete the next stage of the restoration work.

"It will go towards a new roof as the original needs a lot of repairs. It will also go towards restoring windows on the north side of the church. There will also be a new west window, which almost covers the whole of the west side. It will be the most impressive thing you will see.

"We are hoping to start the work soon. It will take a long time and will have to be done in stages."

An application for funding was made in September, and in February the church was visited by an English Heritage architect.

Fr Grieves said the church had originally applied for a £200,000 heritage grant but he was still pleased to find that half the grant application sum had been awarded.

He said: "It is a substantial sum of money and we are all delighted. We have around £30,000 from our own fundraising.

"We will be appealing to other grant making charities for the rest. The Diocese of Durham may also make a contribution. It is great news for Easter."