LONDON, ENGLAND.- A Sikh temple in Watford, a Moravian missionary church in Yorkshire and a Hackney Synagogue are just three of the 83 grade II-listed places of worship across England set to benefit from a �7 million package of grants announced by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund today.

This announcement follows a �17.5 million handout in March for grade I and II* religious buildings under the same Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, launched by the two organisations in 2002. So far it has awarded �52.5 million to over 600 buildings struggling to cope with the ravages of time. Today’s grants will give a new lease of life to a diverse collection of buildings much loved by their communities.

Richard Halsey, Head of Places of Worship at English Heritage, said: “All these places of worship are greatly loved by their congregations who battle against the odds to preserve them. We want these grants to give them the boost needed to carry out vital repair work and so secure an active future for this remarkable collection of buildings.”

Stephen Johnson, Director of Operations at the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “Churches and places of worship are often the most prominent symbols of a communit y's heritage and have huge architectural and historical value. They also provide local communit ies with a natural focus at important occasions as well as in day-to-day life. This major investment by Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage will ensure that they will continue to be an integral part of their community's identity for years to come.”

Since 1996 the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sikh Temple in Watford has been housed in the town’s former County Court House. Built in 1858, the Court House is an unusually restrained and classical building for the period and is of considerable architectural and historical interest. However, the small Sikh Community which worships there has recently been faced with expensive bills for the repair of the leaking roof, rainwater drainage system, eroding brickwork and pointing. Today’s grant of �116,000 will help to secure the future of this important place of worship.

The Church of Our Lady and St John the Baptist in Staffordshire is a striking Roman Catholic building in Moorish Gothic style which dates from 1823. The village of Ashley is a small, but very active rural parish and these urgently needed repairs are well beyond their means. Now, with a total grant of �103,000, the re-roofing and re-rendering of this building is within their reach.

Gomersal Moravian Church in Yorkshire was built by Protestant missionaries from what is now the Czech Republic as part of a network of settlement churches for cloth weaving families throughout the West Riding. The foundation stone was laid in 1751 and the church was completed by 1755, at a cost of �347. The church, which is facing large bills for roof repairs, has been offered a grant of up to �79,000.

Egerton Road Synagogue in Hackney , built in 1914, is based on an earlier Synagogue on Bishopsgate built in 1838 by John Davies and incorporates some of the original fittings from its 19 th century predecessor including a mahogany Ark. The Edwardian Baroque-style exterior of the Synagogue gives way to a fine interior with Italianate galleries supported on Doric columns and a panelled, barrel-vaulted ceiling. Egerton Road Synagogue is on the Buildings at Risk Register for Greater London and sadly much of the internal historic fabric has been lost through rainwater damage. Today’s grant of �62,000 will go towards major repairs to the roof and the damaged internal structure.

The idyllic church of St Luke , Simonsbath in Somerset stands in a deeply rural and sparsely populated area of the south-west. It was constructed in a single phase between 1855-6 after industrialist John Knight sought permission for a new church to be built on Exmoor . Although it is currently without a vicar, the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Friends of St Luke’s have launched a vigorous fundraising campaign. Today their efforts have been rewarded with a grant of up to �121,000 for the complete replacement of both main roofs, repairs to the vestry roof, and new rainwater goods in the nave, chancel and vestry.

All listed places of worship in England are eligible to apply for a grant under the Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme. The programme supports urgent repairs to the fabric of listed places of worship and priority is given to single repair projects costing less than �200,000. There is a two stage application process with development funding available after Stage 1 to help work up proposals.