THE kind of collection donation most country churches can only dream about has landed on Clehonger's plate.

All Saints - which has served the village since the 12th century - is the biggest county beneficiary of a £2.5 million grant aid initiative.

English Heritage (EH) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) are sending £132,000 All Saints' way to restore the church tower.

The money will make it possible to relay the tower roof on a repaired structure and fix cracks in the walls and window tracery.

Sandstone-and-slate All Saints is a Grade I rural parish church.

Inside is the tomb of Sir Richard de Pembrugge (Pembridge) who was one of the first knights of the Order of the Garter founded by Edward III.

The church is also home to the 'near unique' Barre brasses - Sir John Barre and his wife Joan - that date from around 1490.

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Fragments of medieval glass can be seen in the north-east window.

The £2.5 million divided across the West Midlands comes out of the EH and HLF Places of Worship scheme which looks to maintain historic churches as centres for social activity and icons for community memory.

After All Saints, the second highest grant in the county goes to the Norman St John and St Alkmund at Aymestry, £109,000

Other grants go to: St Bartholomew, Thruxton (£52,000); St Mary Magdalene, Leintwardine (£33,000); St Faith, Bacton (£33,000); St Peter, Pudleston (£74,000); St Mary Magdalene, Little Hereford (£55,000); St Bartholomew, Vowchurch (£66,000); St James, Kimbolton (£41,000); St Mary, Linton, near Ross, (£53,000); St Margaret, St Margarets (£46,000); St Michael, Brimfield (£80,000).