The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and English Heritage (EH) have awarded grants worth £6.6m for essential repairs to Grade II listed churches and chapels across England.

The grants unveiled will help to repair over 70 historic places of worship, with St Michael Orthodox Church in Kent receiving the biggest grant of £450,000.

Other sites to benefit from the funding include Bristol’s All Hallows Church with its Gothic Revival architecture, Liverpool’s 13th-century-styled St Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church and Birmingham’s Assemblies of the First Born Pentecostal Church.

Carole Souter, Director of HLF, said: “Places of worship are at the heart of local communities and people are passionate about caring for them. These grants are a great example of the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage working together to ensure these precious historic buildings are around for another century’s worth of use and enjoyment.”

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “This money will go towards vital repair work to keep the buildings watertight and stable.

“I am particularly proud of the fact that this year, for the first time, members of the public will be able to search online for details on how to visit the repaired churches which received funding under the scheme in 2002.

“Encouraging wider public affection for these buildings, especially among young people, is a vital part of securing their future.”