£29,000 In Restoration Funding for St John’s Mexborough

It will go towards the Restoration 2030 project to help preserve the church.

Published on: 03/02/2026

St John’s Mexborough has been successful in being awarded two grants – £15,000 from the Number 1 Trust and £14,000 from the Benefact Trust to help preserve the church in 2026 and beyond.

Bids were made in 2025 to help raise funds for Phase 1 of Restoration 2030, a three-phase project to preserve the fabric of the building and improve facilities to help increase community engagement through events and activities. The first phase is to address the structural issues with the 12th century, Grade 1 listed church, which include both repairs to the bell tower floor (housing three bells dating from the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries) and the full re-pointing of the building including the tower and spire.

The 12th century church is the oldest and only Grade 1 Listed building in Mexborough. Restoration 2030 aims to raise its profile as a place of great historical value to the town through community events which will increase the number of visitors, increasing outreach and in turn providing greater opportunities for evangelism.

Following recent confirmation that the bids, worth £29,000, have been successful, work is underway to achieve the following objectives:

  1. To repair and restore the timbers in the Belfry so that locals can once again hear the ringing of these ancient bells and help to secure the church’s presence in the community.
  • To return the building to structural integrity, secure its long-term future both as the centre of worship in the town and as an area of ancient history.
  • Enable the commencement of Phase 2 to improve facilities by installing a toilet and kitchen and improving disabled access.

St John’s is active in the life of the local CofE school through weekly assemblies, a regular school Mass and confirmation classes each Autumn term, and wish to build on this by involving the school in projects which complement their curriculum, with particular regard to RE and history. There is an active local history group who are keen to be involved and promote the church’s progress, and it’s hoped further improvements to the building will enable better hosting for evangelistic and community events. 

Fr Edward Morrison, Vicar at St John’s Mexborough, said:

“Restoration 2030 is a very exciting project for us. It’s very important to preserve Mexborough’s only Grade 1 listed building for future generations, to worship here but also for the benefit of the wider community. We have great plans for the church and aim to have them completed by 2030, dependant on funds of course. To receive a grant from the Number 1 Trust has been extremely valuable as it now means we have reached our target and can begin the work. We’re very grateful for this generous award.”