A STOURBRIDGE church is celebrating receiving a £8,670 cash boost to help fund it's "much-needed" revamp.

St John's United Reform Church on St John's Road, has been given the grant by The Veolia Environmental Trust, based in Wolverhampton.

Work that will be funded by the grant will include renovating a meeting room and repairing the plaster ceiling.

Trees that surround the grade II listed building will also be cut back to enhance the view of the church from the ring road.

The trust, which was established in 1997 under the Landfill Communities Fund, supports a wide range of community and environmental projects throughout the UK.

The grant was awarded at the trust's quarterly board meeting on January 20 and was one of 77 grants totalling almost £2.5m that were awarded through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Working together, the trust and the church will finalise the details of the project, which will include arranging a start date, with the aim to get it up and running as soon as possible.

Reverend Stuart Scott, was delighted with the news that the funding request had been accepted.

He said: “This grant is great news. It means we can push the project forward and start the much-needed refurbishment to improve the facilities we can offer to community groups.”

The executive director of The Veolia Environmental Trust, Paul Taylor, added: “This is a fantastic start to 2014, both for us and the projects we have awarded grants to."

He continued: "This scheme will give the church and its community space a new lease of life, and I look forward to seeing it start and take shape."