Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced a further £200,000 in funding to help repair listed church buildings across Northern Ireland.

The funding will cover the 2026/27 financial year and will be administered by the National Churches Trust. It follows a £200,000 allocation for 2025/26, which was announced earlier this year.

Minister Lyons made the announcement during a visit to Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, where he viewed repairs supported by a £55,000 grant from his Department. The work included repairs to the structure of a large arched stained-glass window.

-- Advertisement --

Speaking about the funding, Minister Lyons said: "Churches have been under considerable pressure recently, particularly in the context of the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship VAT reclaim scheme ending in March of this year. I recognise the value of these much-used buildings to people, to the wider community and even to tourism and people's pride of place."

Applications for funding to support repairs to listed church buildings are now open and can be submitted through the National Churches Trust website.