A CHURCH near Stow on the Wold received an early Christmas present which will help rescue an ancient painting.

St Nicholas Church at Oddington has been given a £4,000 grants for repairs to its Doom wall paintings, which was dam,aged after thieves stole metal off the church roof earlier this year.

The money has been donated by the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust.

Set in woodland near Stow, St Nicholas draws visitors from all over the world to see this art work.

But in February, thieves removed the copper covering from the church roof, allowing rain to pour in, damaging the paintings.

Margaret Lewis of the church said: “The paintings need a year to dry out, and the roof must be repaired before work starts. We’re delighted to have GHCT’s contribution to this expensive work which will ensure future visitors enjoy the very special paintings at St Nicholas.”

The paintings are on the north wall of the nave of the church, which is a Grade I listed building. They were whitewashed over in the English Reformation, and not uncovered until the early 20th century.

The money was part of a £67,000 package of grants awarded by the trust to 20 churches across Gloucestershire this month.

Part of the money comes from nearly £48,500, which was raised by the trust's supporters who took part in a cycling and walking fundraising event in September.

The trust's chairman Nick Talbot Rice said: “Gloucestershire’s churches are rich in heritage and vital assets to the people that use them, but the cost of maintaining them can often be a burden on communities. We’re delighted that thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we can help so many churches in need.”

Full details of the latest grant awards and how to apply for a grant are available at ghct.org.uk.

The trust helps churches of any Christian denomination in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and North Bristol.

The main fundraising event each year is the Ride Stride in September. Half the money raised goes to participant’s churches, the rest to the trust.