THREE Scottish churches have been awarded grants worth tens of thousands of pounds for repairs and improvements.

St Bride's Roman Catholic Church in East Kilbride - celebrated as a building for offering a Scottish twist on brutalist 1960s architecture - is among the recipients.

The National Churches Trust has also given £10,000 to Annan United Reformed Church in Dumfries and Galloway, which has changed little since it was built in 1903, and St Martin of Tours Episcopal Church in Edinburgh.

Broadcaster Huw Edwards, vice-president of the National Churches Trust, said: "This funding will help ensure that these three much loved Scottish churches continue to serve local people for many years to come.”

A number of repairs are needed at St Bride's including replacement roof cladding and it has been awarded £40,000.

Fr. Jim Thomson, treasurer of the Diocese of Motherwell, said he was delighted: "Our church has received many architectural awards and much professional admiration throughout the years and it is therefore very fitting that 50 years on from its dedication it is being restored to its original glory, not just for the parish community and East Kilbride, but for the wider international design community. The funding, along with the other grants we have received, will allow us to refurbish the roof and restore the brickwork, key elements of the church. This essential work will not only preserve the fabric, but will reinstate many of the original details allowing natural daylight to flood back into the building."

Annan United Reformed Church will use its funding to help provide space for community groups and St Martin of Tours is modernising the Victorian building.

A total of 29 churches and chapels across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland received grants in the latest round of handouts from the trust.

Mr Edwards urged people visiting or passing churches this Christmas to think about how they could help ensure they remain open and in good repair for future generations.