The final piece in the jigsaw of the restoration of Gorton Monastery can now be completed after the project has received a grant of £1.7m and a £1m donation.

The money will be used by the Trustees of the Edward Pugin designed building for a new Welcome Wing, which will include a new entrance and a community and educational space.

The project to restore the Church and Friary of St Francis which was built in 1863 began back in 1996 after a failed attempt to turn the site into apartments and the venue was opened in 2007.

Elaine Griffiths, chief executive of The Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust, said:

“This is a fantastic Christmas present for Gorton and for Manchester as a whole. The collapse of the Friary during the original fundraising period meant that almost £1m had to be diverted into saving that part of the Grade II listed buildings, and so vital restoration and conservation work inside the former church has had to be deferred until now.”

The Monastery, once declared one of the world’s 100 most endangered monuments, was abandoned by its resident Franciscan monks in 1989 and vandals quickly set to work.

A giant crucifix depicting a life-size statue of Jesus was sold off to an art dealer ready for export to America.

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