St Grada & Holy Cross can be seen for miles around and has a fascinating history full of local folklore. The story goes that Sir Roger Wallysborough, a Cornish crusader and pilgrim, travelled to the Holy Sepulchre and stole a fragment of the True Cross – the one that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on.
However, when travelling home, Wallysborough was shipwrecked on the Lizard Coast of Cornwall and gifted the True Cross fragment to St Grada church in the 13th century. The church was then renamed St Grada & Holy Cross. Others suggest that St Grada & Holy Cross church was built in 13th century to mark this event.
The remote location of the church means that it is constantly battered by wind and rain – it is remarkable the Victorian roof has lasted as long as it has. The church is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register too.
Last year’s storms were particularly devastating for the church, ripping off many more roof tiles.
Replacing the roof after 160 years is long overdue and it is thanks to the Friends’ Award that this is now in touching distance.
The Friend's vote is an annual event. Friends of the National Churches Trust – who pay £45 a year to help keep churches open and in use – get to vote for which church they would like to receive an additional £10,000 grant towards their essential repair or facilities project.
Our 2025 winner was St Grada and Holy Cross in Cornwall
“As a group and community, we have been fundraising for ten years,” shares Mary Keeley, Chair of the Friends of St Ruan and St Grade, who have been spearheading the fundraising efforts for the church.
The team have been particularly innovative, hosting everything from Pimm's and Pasties and Sea Shanty concerts.
“We successfully applied for a large grant from the National Churches Trust toward our restoration project, for which we have been extremely grateful,” continues Mary.
"We have taken advantage of the National Churches Trust training courses, which have proved very useful. We were glad to be involved in the campaign to save the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme."
You can watch the video for the campaign below. St Grada and Holy Cross missed out on vital funding because of the changes to the scheme. The UK Government has now cancelled it entirely, meaning that all repairs and maintenance on listed places of worship cost 20 percent more.
“Our partnership – or should I say our friendship with the National Churches Trust organisation – has raised our profile locally and nationally," Mary adds.
Karl Newton, Deputy CEO of the National Churches Trust, visited St Grada & Holy Cross last year with BBC Spotlight to cover how the loss of the VAT rebate for listed churches is making repairs 20% more expensive.
Success
“It means such a lot to us that the award is an award from the Friends of National Churches Trust,” says Mary. “We feel that our treasure is shared by all.”
You can find out more about the church and plan a visit here.
"I want to say a big thank you to our Friends, whose generosity makes it possible for us to help not only churches like St Grada and Holy Cross with their urgent repair needs, but to support the volunteers who care for these wonderful buildings with free training and advice," says Karl Newton, Deputy CEO of the National Churches Trust.
"I am delighted to share with you St Grada and Holy Cross have been successful in achieving a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which will help to conserve the church and make it sustainable for the future. It's an important step in the church coming off the Heritage at Risk Register."
