A PARISH church in York has received a grant of £10,000 to upgrade their community hub.

St Luke the Evangelist in Clifton, which has served as a parish for 5,000 York residents for over 120 years, has received the grant from Allchurches Trust, a grant charity for UK churches, particularly for those in economically and socially deprived areas.

The church say they are going to use the grant to improve community facilitates and accessibility to its buildings.

Churchwarden Colette Longbottom, said: “St Luke’s Community Hub is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renew the church’s offer and welcome to people who come here for faith, friendship or support, to celebrate and learn, to meet old friends and new ones too.

“Our grant from Allchurches Trust will help make both our existing church building and the new hub building next door accessible to people of different abilities and needs, and help us to welcome all people, whatever has brought them here.”

Allchurches Trust is one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities, who gave more than £23 million to churches, charities and communities in 2020.

Andrew Bass, grants officer for Allchurches Trust, said: “We are very pleased to support St Luke’s outreach through distribution of supermarket surplus food, provision of social spaces and occasions for those who might struggle without them, and its offer of a community space as well as a place of Christian ministry and mission.”

The funds for the grants come from the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group.

St Luke’s still needs additional funding for the community hub, which can be made online at https://bit.ly/stlukeshubfund.