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Great Expectations

Churches: See them. Save them. Support them.

Historic churches, chapels and meeting houses are among our most treasured buildings and our most beautiful heritage. But for how much longer?

If you care about church buildings and want to see them open and in use for many years to come, we invite you to join us in person or online for a day of discovery.

Find out more and get your tickets
A large church - Newark St Mary Magdalene in Newark - with large windows. There are bare trees and colourful flowers in the foreground and a blue sky with few clouds.
Mat Fascione

Save the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme

The Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme is a lifeline for historic churches – saving them 20 per cent on repair costs. But the future of the scheme is uncertain – and churches, chapels, meeting houses and cathedrals across the country are now paying up to a fifth more for repairs. To fix urgent needs like leaking roofs and crumbling towers. Some of them cannot afford to do these repairs anymore, putting heritage and church buildings across the country at risk of disrepair and closure. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport have now been given their budget for the next few years. It is now up to them to decide if they will fund the scheme. Please join us in urging them to make the scheme permanent.

Find out more
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JonAvent

Protecting church heritage for the future is our biggest challenge

Nearly 1000 historic churches in England need repairs so urgently they’ve been officially designated as 'At Risk'. To see how serious things can get, look north of the border at Scotland, where the Church of Scotland is planning to close 30-40 percent of its churches, or Wales, where up to half of churches could close. At the National Churches Trust we do what we can, but we need your help.

Please donate

Our impact in numbers

  • Over 2000 Churches and chapels

    We've helped keep open, in good repair and supporting local people since 2007.

  • £ 2.8 million awarded in 2024

    To churches and chapels for urgent repairs, new facilities and essential maintenance.

  • 7 Churches and chapels

    Removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in 2024 with the support of our grants.

Church of the Week

Church of the Week

Standish, Greater Manchester

Standish St Wilfrid is Wigan’s oldest building. This iteration of the church was built in the 1500s. Just 300 years later, lightning struck the spire it eventually blew down during a ferocious storm. The spire was quickly replaced in 1857. Standing at 130 feet, the spire has been a landmark in Wigan for more than 150 years. It is an icon for many, giving people a sense of place and comfort. But in more recent years, the St Wilfrid faces a future without this magnificent heritage. We can confirm that the spire has been saved for the future – thanks in part to a grant from the National Churches Trust.

View Standish St Wilfrid
A yellow-coloured church pictured behind some flowers
Iain Soden Heritage Projects

How did we keep another 80 churches open?

We’re here to help churches stay open and in use – that’s what we do. Thanks to our Friends, donors, and partner organisations together we have helped keep the doors open at over 80 churches, chapels and meeting houses with our latest round of grants. Find out more about the brilliant churches we have helped with our latest round of grants.

Exterior of St Martin church. A historic church in Devon in grey stone with a square tower to the left of the image. Graves and green grass are in the foreground and a white and cloudy sky is behind the building.
Robert Cutts

New research shows the public value historic churches

Historic England has released new research which shows that there is strong public support for preserving the nation’s historic churches. This was even the case among people who are secular or who do not attend church services. But why does this matter now - and how can we save churches in need?

A group of singers, performing carols in a church
Mike Swift

Carols by Candlelight tickets available now

Join us for our annual Carols by Candlelight concert on Thursday 11 December, 7pm at Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair, London. Be transported into a winter wonderland with your favourite festive carols from our choir and brass band, as well as music and readings from Katie Derham, Joe Stilgoe and Bill Bryson.