Urgent appeal to save town's only Grade I-listed building

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The iconic spire of Wigan’s only Grade I listed building is falling down - and there is an urgent appeal to bring it back to its former glory.

St Wilfrid’s Church has launched a fundraising appeal to help pay for an urgent £400,000 restoration of the iconic spire. Architects discovered the need for vital repairs to the 130ft spire – a landmark for Standish and the surrounding area for more than 150 years – and the community is being asked to help out.

The church, the only Grade I-listed building in the borough of Wigan, has launched a Save Standish Spire campaign to raise money for the project, to pay for repairs to the inside and outside of the structure – including fixing the broken church clock. READ MORE: Salford councillor slams 'disgraceful' treatment of traveller community in Greater Manchester Rev Andrew Holliday, Rector of St Wilfrid’s CE Church, said: “The spire is an important part of our village’s heritage and is a landmark for Standish people which can be seen for many miles around.

It is essential that we preserve it and we are launching this appeal so that this urgent restoration can be carried out as soon as possible. “As the spire is dear to everyone in Standish, we are hoping people and businesses from across the village and beyond will be able to make a donation, no matter how small, so that we can conserve the spire for future generations to enjoy. “Obviously, our own parish funds built up to maintain the church will contribute to the costs, but the scale of the essential repairs that are needed means we have to reach out across the community for support.” The Grade I-listed church was described by the authors of the ‘Buildings of England’ as “one of the most interesting churches in Lancashire”.