We want to support you to keep your church, chapel or meeting house open, well maintained and in use. On this page you’ll find links to resources and training to help you do this.
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have a dedicated support officer, based in North West England, who is on hand to help you with advice and training. You can email Matthew at: Matthew.Maries@nationalchurchestrust.org
“Hello, I’m an archaeologist with a master's degree in the Conservation of Historic Buildings and experience working in the construction industry, museums, and planning. I’m excited to get out into Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester to visit the amazing places of worship and meet the wonderful people keeping them alive. I look forward to working together with you to ensure these brilliant, historic spaces stay at the heart of their communities now and in the future.”
Whether you are looking to repair your roof, install a kitchen or accessible toilets, clear asbestos or simply need help undertaking regular essential maintenance to your building, we offer a range of grants to suit the size and needs of your project. We also have a special Cherish grant – created especially to help places of worship in North West England.
From how to develop and manage a church building project, to keeping your church in good condition by regular maintenance, you can find out about the key things you need to do to look after your church building.
Many churches, chapels and meeting houses were built to be at the heart of their communities; to be busy and used by all. There are many ways to ensure that this is still the case. Discover how to create the perfect welcome, tell your story and more.
Our team runs events and training to help with everything from fundraising and tourism support to how to apply for a grant. You can also view the full list of training events that the National Churches Trust will be running this year.
If you're worried about the impact of archaeology on your plans, or want to know more about how it can be a really positive element of any project; in this session, from 2-3pm on 27 August, we will introduce the importance of archaeology and how to make the most of working with an archaeologist. Delivered by Matthew Maries, an archaeologist with a master's degree in the Conservation of Historic Buildings and one of our Cherish church support officers.
Join us on Wednesday 9 October from 2-3pm. If you've ever wondered which grant to apply for or what information you need to provide, help is on hand. This FREE workshop is the ideal session for anyone involved with a church, chapel or meeting house in the UK who wants to learn more about our grants.
Taking place from 2-3pm on Tuesday 29 October. As more and more elements of our daily lives move online, it makes sense that your website is the first place potential members, worshippers, volunteers, supporters, visitors or event attendees look to find out more information about your church.
Cherish includes training, support, advice and funding for places of worship in Scotland, Wales and North West England (Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester).
The National Churches Trust responds to news of the planned church closures in Wigan.
We all hear about a church being open, but what does it really mean? Who gets to come into the building and when? And what for? St Stephen on the Cliffs church in Blackpool shares with us why their building being open is a vital part of the life of the church – even in the midst of a large building project.
