A rotting church tower is to be saved from disrepair after securing a grant with the hopes it will be able to reopen once work is complete.

The tower at St Clement church in Rhayader, is rotting and in danger of falling down unless action is taken.

Water is seeping in through cracks, damp has set in and foliage is growing inside. The floorboards are so beset with dry rot they are unsafe to walk on. The church has been forced to close the tower due to safety concerns.

On the recommendation from the National Churches Trust, St Clement will receive a £22,610 grant from the Jane Hodge Foundation to help repair the rotting tower and protect this magnificent church for many more years to come.

Once these repairs have taken place, not only will it save the tower, but the church is making plans to be open to the public on a regular basis, so that local people and visitors can enjoy the brilliant heritage and social space the church has to offer.

There has been a church present on the site, serving local people, since medieval times. The current church building dates back to the 18th century. Despite being unlisted, there is so much heritage on offer inside to see, including:

· The Giant's Grave; during the rebuild of the church in the 18th century, a number of skeletons were found including one with a huge thigh bone –one of giant proportions. They are believed to have been the result of an attack on the nearby castle’s English garrison or victims of the plague. The mass grave can still be seen today and is named ‘the Giant’s Grave’.

· The oldest historical feature to survive the rebuilding; an early medieval font with four very worn faces that project from the stone bowl.

Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: "The National Churches Trust is delighted to be able to support St Clement church to enable them to carry out urgent repairs to their beautiful building. Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people.”

Gafyn Blakeway, Lead Grant Officer and Chair for St Clement’s Church Committee, said: “As with so many other churches, keeping the fabric of such historic buildings safe and in good condition is a massive challenge for congregations. This is even more the case in rural areas such as Mid-Wales. We are thrilled and very grateful to have received this grant from the National Churches Trust.

“Without such support we would have been forced to close the church, while the future of an historic building in the heart of our town would have become deeply uncertain. The service that St Clement’s has provided the town for hundreds of years would also have come to an end.”

St Clement is also close to the location of medieval castle which would have stood at the same time as the original church on the site.