TUNDERGARTH Kirks Trust has been awarded £40,000 to carry out major repair work to the iconic 1900 church.
The Trust has secured £20,000 from Annandale and Nithsdale Community Benefit Company, administered by Foundation Scotland.
Long term financial supporters of the Trust, the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Legacy Foundation, then offered to match fund the grant by donating a further £20,000.
Trust chair Lori Carnochan this week said: “We are extremely grateful to both Funding Scotland and the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Legacy Foundation for helping us to keep the doors open at our wonderful church.
“The roof repairs and repointing work is eye-wateringly expensive and we simply do not have the funds available. We are a small trust who depend on the kind of generosity shown here, in order to undertake these imperative repairs.”
She explained that the money will be used to undertake extensive roof repairs, as well as repointing work, after major water intrusion caused significant damage over the winter.
Scaffolding has already been erected in preparation for the work to begin in the coming weeks. In the meantime, 20 heavy-duty tarpaulins have been installed to ensure the building is watertight until the repair work begins.
As well as external repairs, the church also requires significant work internally, to remove and replace damaged walls and timber. The trustees are working hard to secure further funding to enable them to carry out the necessary work to keep the building in good repair.
Tundergarth Kirks Trust has also been caring for the Air Disaster Remembrance Room, in its grounds.
Last year a comprehensive collection of victim colour photographs, presented on six banners, were installed there alongside computers which allow the thousands of annual visitors to learn about the attack, the victims and the local survivors.
Lori added: “We are so blessed to have the support of these community partners to allow us to continue our work to preserve and care for these iconic historical sites.”
