Grants worth almost £60,000 have been awarded by the Norfolk Churches Trust to safeguard heritage places of worship.

A total of 14 grants have been made by the trust to fund urgent restoration work at churches across the county.

The biggest award of £15,000 was made to St Mary's Church, North Tuddenham, near Dereham, to help prevent possible collapse of the tower.

A total of £36,000 is needed by St Mary's to investigate cracks in the tower and buttresses and to under-pin the medieval structure.

At the trust's latest quarterly grants' meeting, it also approved an award of £10,000 to St Lawrence, Harpley, near King's Lynn, to replace its porch roof, which will protect one of the country's finest carved medieval doors.

Other major awards include £5,000 for St Margaret's Church, Kirstead, near Loddon, where the chancel roof needs urgent action.

Repairs to conserve a remarkable east chancel window at All Saints, Scottow, near Norwich, will cost a total of £19,000 and the trust has awarded £7,000 towards the work. Gaps between the glass and stonework has allowed rain to enter, which is adding to the problems and the window remains in imminent danger of collapsing in a strong wind.

Recognising the importance of a modern church in Norwich, the trust has awarded £4,000 for repairs to St Francis, Heartsease. It faces a repair bill of £11,500 for extra underpinning to the church and for insulation of a flat roof.

The trust gave £1,897 to the church two years ago for repairs but when this work was being carried out, further problems were identified. And as the church is a post-war building, it cannot reclaim VAT because it is not listed.

Restoration of the porch at St Mary's, Narford, near Swaffham, has been given a further award of £3,500. It tops up an earlier donation of £5,000 towards the total cost of more than £22,000. The roof will be re-slated.

Other awards include – St Mary's, Thrigby, near Yarmouth £2,000; St Mary's, West Somerton, £2,000; St Michael, Stockton, near Beccles £1,000; All Saints, Beighton, near Cantley £1,500.