WORK on the first phase of a £1.2 million restoration project is set to begin in March.

St Michael and All Angels Church’s restoration project has secured Heritage Lottery Fund investment of £209,900 for phase one of five, which will include essential conservation work.

The entire project is expected to take up to 10 years to complete, with between six and seven months allocated to the first portion of work from March 6.

Between now and October, the north aisle of St Michael's will be re-roofed with lead gutters replaced by stainless steel. Two pinnacles will also be replaced, with another five repaired and further masonry repairs on the upper north side of the church.

As part of phase one, the Heritage Trail inside the church and the digital archive of documents and photographs relating to the heritage of the church will also be under development with the aim of it being accessible to the public from August onwards.

There is also funding for preliminary work on the Venables Screens, which will be fully addressed in phase two.

Project coordinator Mike Reed explained: “For between six and seven months there will be a lot of activity around the north side of the church where the roof is being replaced and work is being carried out to restore decayed masonry and replace Victorian pinnacles which were removed for safety reasons in 2012.

“There will also be some work carried out on the south side where part of the perimeter wall is being replaced and some work is being carried out to the west window.”

Mike added: “The church will remain open for the whole period, and although there will be some temporary internal structures, it is expected that we will be able to work round them and that church activities will continue as normal.”

Phases two and three cover internal improvements, with the latter two phases returning focus to structural repairs as well as heritage accessibility.

Money for the first phase was also raised by the public, with an ‘Auction of Promises’ scheduled for March 18 at 7pm.

To donate a promise, such as half a day’s gardening or ironing, or an introduction to an area of expertise, get in touch with the church. Physical items will also be auctioned off, with Robert Reed of Wright Marshall conducting proceedings.