MORE than £2.6 million is to be given for urgent repairs on the region's churches.English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund has announced offers of grants to churches in the East of England ranging from £17,000 to £225,000.

MORE than £2.6 million is to be given for urgent repairs on the region's churches.

English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund has announced offers of grants to churches in the East of England ranging from £17,000 to £225,000.

The Repair Grant Scheme for Places of Worship will provide urgent support for repairs to 46 grade I and II listed churches in East Anglia.

Richard Halsey, East of England Director for English Heritage, said: "For at least a thousand years, churches have been the nation's spiritual treasure houses. These magnificent buildings remain loved and cherished landmarks in their local communities.

"They have suffered from the wear and tear of time and weather and essential structural repairs are urgently needed.

"Our grants will help congregations to safeguard the future of the region's precious architectural heritage," he said.

Robyn Greenblatt, Heritage Lottery Fund's Manager for East of England, said: "Churches and places of worship are often the most prominent symbols of a community's heritage, landmarks that everyone can take pride in.

"They are also a vital resource for communities to get together and share common interests and activities, even those who don't use the buildings for worship.

"This major investment of Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage money will help ensure that some of our region's finest churches can be enjoyed long into the future," Mr Greenblatt commented.

The Suffolk churches to benefit include the Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Bramford with £100,000, the Church of St. Michael & All Angels in Brantham with £23,000 and All Saints Church in Stradbroke with £105,000.