Martin Wall project

Wall secured at St. Philip and St. James, Groby

The graveyard at  the east end of St Philip and St James Church in Groby contains a burial area for the Martin family. The Martin family have strong associations with Leicestershire with two of the family becoming Lord Lieutenants of the County. Several members of the family were Rectors and Vicars of St Philip and St James – and some of the family are buried in this area of the churchyard.

This land is contained by a supporting wall of approximately 2 metres high and several years ago a part of the retaining wall completely collapsed into a neighbouring field. More of the wall also supports the Garden of Remembrance and requires attention. Understandably, we wish to make the whole area secure.  

A team from  St Philip and St James has worked hard to raise funds from the grants that are available to repair the wall, knowing that quotes from contractors indicated that we needed  to raise £24,000.

Despite many unsuccessful applications for grants, we can now announce that the full amount of £24,000 has been raised, with the following grants being awarded:

Big Lottery Fund – Awards for All	£10,000
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Parish and Community Initiative Fund	£5,750
Thomas Herbert Smith Memorial Fund	£7,000
Martin Family Donation	£1,000
AllChurches Fund	£250

 

St Philip and St James would like to thank all the above  bodies for their support and the money they have awarded – it is greatly appreciated by all those who use the church, visit the churchyard or have an interest in the history of Groby.

These grants ensure that the churchyard and church will be open and safe for all those who use and visit the churchyard.

The work to repair the wall will start on the 2^nd November and should be completed before Christmas.