Repairs Begin After Lacock Church Vandalism

Last week a Lacock Church was vandalised not long after it had undergone a £40,000 restoration project. The pre-medieval structure is a hub for the Lacock community and recently played a part in the Lacock Flower Festival before the vandalism took place.

From letters to visits from locals and further afield, the community have shown their support for St Cyriac's Church in Lacock after the attack which left a number of windows damaged, including a 600-year-old stained glass window. Tell us your view on the incident below.

"We've had some generous responses from people, even if it's something from £20. We've had people bringing letters and people have been touched locally," said a church warden from St Cyriac's Church, "The daughter of a former vicar from years and years ago saw it on the news and sent some money. The local people have been doing things as well. It's been a lovely response."

Work has begun to address the damage caused by the vandals, with the site cleaned up and sheeting in place but it is unknown as to how long the repairs will take and how much they will cost.

The church warden continued: "It's not Lacock is it? In some part of the world these things happen, it never makes sense. I think people have felt shocked but it's been nice to see the positive side and people see how important the church is to them.  People think what it means to them and how difficult it is to keep a building like this going. We do assume it'll be there and look nice but it takes a lot of money to protect these historic buildings."

The church is open as usual to visitors and is accepting donations. Give your view on the news story in the comment box below. Do we still need our churches? What's your view?