A LAKE District church has been praised with a prestigious award following two years of reparations to its tower.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has praised St Oswald’s church, in Grasmere, with the John Betjeman accolade, an award that celebrates the excellence in the repair of places of worship.

The Grade I-listed church, which dates back to 1250, was re-rendered in the 1920s using hard cement mortar, whose failure led to water penetration and a fall of material from the west wall.

Around ten years ago, the 90-year-old cement render began to fall off, creating danger to the public and leaving underlying stonework exposed to the elements.

The repair project, which took 30 weeks to complete, was carried out by Crosby Granger Architects of Kendal and UK Restoration Services of Burnley.

They completely removed the old render from the tower, stitched a structural crack, and re-rendered using hot lime (roughcast and three coats of limewash), alongside associated repairs.

The John Betjeman Award is given for repairs to a specific element of a built, rather than for a general programme of works.

A number of church members gave a great deal time and energy to the project which began in 2015 with fund raising, resulting in generous donations from Alene Hackett Bequest, Friends of St Oswald’s, Grasmere, ChurchCare (Wolfson Foundation), The Headley Trust, AllChurches Trust, and Jill Franklin Trust.

More than £270,000 was raised for the project to become a reality.