Hidden hoard of gold coins saves church set to shut

Image caption, Rev Jane Lee said the treasure was "like a miracle" By Roger Johnson , BBC North West Tonight , Reporting from St Wilfrid's Church, Melling  and  Lynette Horsburgh , North West Published 4 hours ago A 14th Century church has been saved from closure after the discovery of a "miracle" hoard of gold coins worth nearly £30,000 found hidden under the altar. St Wilfrid's Church in Melling, near Lancaster, was set to shut as its congregation was unable to raise the £750,000 needed for urgent repairs to the building. Rev Jane Lee said she and a lay minister were preparing for morning prayers when they discovered a plastic bag with a box which "to our amazement" contained nine gold Britannia coins inside. She said they burst into tears as it was "so desperately needed" for the 700 year old church which was "in a bit of a pickle" due to the extent of the repair work required including a new roof. Image caption, The gold coins are worth about £30,000 She told BBC North West Tonight : "We just burst into tears when we saw it. "We couldn't believe it. It was like a miracle because it's so desperately needed for the church." Lee said the church was in the process of closing when the hoard was discovered. "We were struggling to keep our doors open." Image caption, St Wilfrid's Church in Melling was set for closure before the discovery She said it was "the answer to their prayers" as the £30,000 can "be a seed" to go towards applying for grants and other fundraising efforts to go on to get the repairs done. She believed the gold coins may have been hidden there four years ago by a mystery benefactor. Lee said other churches in the area received similar mystery gifts in 2022 but St Wilfrid's Church never found it until Good Friday, on 3 April. She said: "For me, it's significant because we've got more community backing now to the church, whereas four years ago we would have probably just spent it on the day-to-day running of it. "Well now it's there for a seed to get all the repairs done that need to be done." She added: "It's wonderful news." Get in touch Tell us which stories we should cover in Lancashire Contact form Contact form Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook , external , X , external and Instagram , external . You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Related topics Melling Lancaster Coins More on this story 'We will keep fighting to save our ancient church' Published 20 January Roman coins and bracelets unearthed in farm dig Published 19 January 2022 Treasure finds in England reach record high Published 13 November 2025