ALL SAINTS Church in Cellan, which is in the top 10 per cent of listed buildings in the UK, has been successful in an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a substantial grant towards essential repairs.

The Grade II-listed building is reputed to stand on the site of a Bronze Age barrow and is known to have been a place of worship from medieval times.

It is believed that the church was restored in 1668, 1797 and 1799 but it is the latest restoration in 1908 to the designs of the arts and crafts architect Herbert Luck North that has attracted the greatest interest from antiquarians.

The remarkable floral patterns in blue, green, and red executed at that time on the boarded ceiling of the church may have been by the architect’s wife Ida Maude (née) Davies.

In recent years the weatherproofing of the gables and north east chancel wall have suffered damage and a grant of £33,100 from the HLF will make possible vital repairs.

Work will begin in the early summer under the guidance of Chris Hess, of local architects Hess, Kincaid, Leach.

A series of celebratory activities led by volunteers from within the community will mark the stages of the renovation.

They will include a lecture by Prof Emeritus David Austin on the church and its place in local history and the landscape, and a visual art project for primary school children organised in conjunction with Ysgol y Dderi, Llangybi.

Deputy headteacher Lilian Jones said: “We plan to begin the project in the summer term with the help of local artist Helen Duffy and to present an exhibition in church during the autumn term.”

A special service of thanksgiving for the restoration work will take place on All Saints Day, Thursday, 1 November at 7pm when a new hymn written by composer John Metcalf setting the words, in Welsh, of For All The Saints will be sung for the first time.

Richard Bellamy, head of HLF in Wales, said: “Our project with All Saints Church is an excellent example of how HLF can help conserve a much-loved building so it can continue to serve its local community.”

The Area Dean of Lampeter and Ultra Aeron, Rev Canon Philip Wyn Davies, who leads the local ministry team of the church, said: ‘’The Rev Bill Fillery, a retired clergyman, has worked hard during the last few years to secure a future for All Saints Church, a small but distinctive church in a rural community.

“The fact that money is now available to carry out essential repair work on the building means that we can look forward with much greater confidence.”