ST SAMPSON'S Church in Cricklade is set to receive a windfall of up to £92,000 towards the cost of fixing its leaky church roof.

The lead roof has been letting in rainwater during the wet winter months, causing structural damage, and the church needs to come up with an estimated £160,000 for the repair work.

English Heritage last week gave £22,000 for members of the church to carry out a survey to calculate exact costs and a time-scale, with a further £92,000 to follow if it is approved.

The vicar, the Rev Judy Ashby, told the Standard: "It's a very beautiful building and so it's a very big grant.

"We are very grateful but there's still a lot of fundraising to be done on our part so it is a challenge for our community.

"It's a large project but it also shows that architecturally it's a very exceptional building. English Heritage obviously value it very highly."