The church took out one of a number of top awards for Orange at the 2009 Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards in Tamworth.

The long, painstaking and costly restoration of the bell tower at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church was given a highly commended in the cultural heritage award category.

The tower of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, designed by architect Thomas Rowe, was completed in 1919 and has been a towering landmark in Orange ever since.

“Although the building has been well maintained, the past 125 years of weathering has had a detrimental effect on its structure [but] the dedication of the Orange Tidy Towns Committee and volunteers has seen the church bell tower and spire beautifully restored,” said Petula Samios, director of the NSW Department of Planning heritage branch.

The total bill to restore the tower to its former glory ended up well over the $500,000 mark.

It was a small price to pay to preserve what is the third tallest steeple in country NSW, the 19th largest in the state and the 29th tallest in the country.

“We’ve been told there are enough bricks in the tower to build 15 four bedroom houses,” Rev Canon Hetherington said yesterday, adding the bricks at the base of the tower are over a metre wide.

“The entire project was really only made possible by a dedicated few volunteers and the wider community who opened their wallets to support the restoration.”

Other awards presented to Orange organisations include the Country Energy Bush Spirit Award for the Cootes Estate Project and the Grundofs Water Conservation Award for the Watertight! conservation program.

Orange was also named the tidiest town for its population category.

“It’s really satisfying to see projects like the Holy Trinity restoration get the recognition they deserve considering the countless time and effort that’s been put in by volunteers,” Deputy Mayor Jason Hamling said yesterday.