A historic church in the heart of the community has launched an appeal to save its iconic tower

Holy Trinity Parish Church in Horwich is almost 200-years-old and now an appeal to raise £40,000 has been launched in a bid to save its iconic tower.

Reverend Nicola Butterworth spoke about the urgent repair project.

She said “We’ve been noticing some deterioration to the tower over the past couple of years, but realised that the tower was in need of repair through one of our regular building inspections.

(Image: UGC)

“There is frost damage which has led to some of the stonework coming loose, though we’ve been able to remove the loose stonework before anything fell off.”

The Church was first built in 1831 as one of more than 600 “Waterloo churches”, a nationwide church-building project funded by an 1818 Act of Parliament, following the wave of national pride after Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Holy Trinity Church launched its appeal to fundraise the repair of its tower in May, after attaining a faculty from the Church of England to carry out the work.

Efforts to publicise the fundraiser have been ramped up recently, with leaflets being distributed throughout Horwich.

It states: "After almost 200 years of serving the people of Horwich, the stonework of the tower is in need of repair. Without this major work, the building may have to close."

The total cost of the project is estimated to be £230,000, with most of the funding being covered by the Church Parish’s funds and through grant applications. However, this has resulted in a shortfall of “at least £40,000”, according to Horwich Heritage.

In order to cover this shortfall, the church is appealing to the community.

An online fundraising page has been set up, which offers donors the ability to make a one-off or monthly contribution.

Speaking about the progress in grant fundraising efforts, Revd Butterworth noted that there is still “a long way to go”. Nonetheless, the community fundraiser has been successful so far: “It’s going really well, we’ve had some very generous donations.

“We’re doing the classic cake sales and have launched a scheme which allows people to sponsor the steps going up the tower. We’re encouraging other ideas as well, so that we can get the work started as quickly as we can.”

The project is expected to be completed within twelve months of its start, however, Holy Trinity will not begin the work until the complete cost of the works can be covered.

The Church hosts services on most Sundays and operates as part of the Horwich & Rivington United Benefice.

This organisation oversees the running of Holy Trinity, as well as other churches in the area: St. Elizabeth’s Church, St Catherine’s Church, and Rivington Parish Church.

Reverend Butterworth, who serves the entire Horwich and Rivington United Benefice, described Holy Trinity as the “heart of the community” in Horwich: “Holy Trinity is a focal point for the community, you can see the tower from miles around, including from the motorway.

“The church provides a place for celebrations – baptisms, weddings – as well as for people saying goodbye to their loved ones. We also have a close relationship with Horwich Parish Primary School, who come in three times a week to hold their assemblies.

“It’s so much more than just Sundays ­— people love this place."

In a statement, Horwich Heritage Society said: "The Holy Trinity Church is a major part of our community and has served our town for generations, many of us will have memories about its place in our lives, it’s time for us now to repay the support we have received from the church and to do what we can to make the building fit for many years to come, please do what you can to help."

To support the fundraising effort visit https://givealittle.co/c/4BHEi5pz1tWeDufsIj8gPj