Guests at the National Church Awards 2023 MikeSwift

National Church Awards

Watch the National Church Awards ceremony!

The judges have chosen their winners.

We’d love as many people as possible to celebrate the National Church Awards, so we’ll be livestreaming the event. Here’s our guide on setting up a livestream party, so that you can enjoy the day with us.  

The event will take place on Tuesday 22 October at Lincoln Cathedral. 

We’d love you to join us in celebrating the work that churches do.

Sign up to watch the livestreem FREE here


This year, the National Church Awards will be celebrating the dedication, care and impact of the people who care for the UK’s wonderful church buildings and who share them with others.

Whether that is keeping a church, chapel or meeting house well maintained, opening it up for visitors or running a community project from the building, we want to hear about the amazing ways the teams at your church are making a difference. We want to partner with you to help celebrate their brilliant efforts in keeping churches open and serving local people. 

The awards this year have been inspired by the work and legacy of Lord Patrick Cormack, a champion of church buildings, who dedicated his life to helping to keep the UK’s churches open and in use – and who worked with many different organisations to make this happen. 


Categories

Click on the boxes to find out more and to enter.

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Care & Conservation Awards

These awards celebrate the great care taken of churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. They honour the dedication and time spent maintaining the buildings, keeping them safe and able to serve local people for generations to come.

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Church & Community Volunteers Awards

These awards centre around the brilliant contribution that volunteers make to both caring for and making best use of churches, and especially using churches to reach out to local communities and using the building as a hub for activity.

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Open for Visitors Awards

In every corner of the UK, we love seeing how churches, chapels and meeting houses are providing a wonderful welcome to visitors and how they’re sharing their building with others.

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Lifetime Achievement Award

This special award recognises a person or team’s lifetime dedication to a particular church, chapel or meeting house or to places of worship in general. It celebrates the achievement dedicating time, care and love for more than 25 years towards this cause.

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Friends Award

This award is chosen by the Friends – supporters – of the National Churches Trust. The winning church receives a £10,000 additional grant to help complete an urgent repair or facilities project.

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Church of the Year

Our Church of the Year award is the pinnacle award that celebrates a church that fulfils its potential and makes a mark on its community and beyond. It's a shining example of a sustainable church – one that is relevant, looked after, in use and open for all.

Lord Cormack

Lord Patrick Cormack (1939-2024) was one of the UK’s longest serving parliamentarians, with a combined total of 54 years in the Palace of Westminster. Through his time in the Houses of Commons and Lords he campaigned and spoke up about the importance and value of churches.  

Lord Cormack was closely involved with many organisations including: 

  • The National Churches Trust 
  • The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings  
  • Lincolnshire Churches Trust 
  • The Council for British Archaeology 
  • The Historic Buildings Council 
  • Heritage in Danger 
  • The Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.  
  • Membership of the General Synod from 1995 to 2005 
  • Holding the post of Deputy High Steward of Lincoln Cathedral from 2018 onwards 
  • Being a Rector’s Warden and ‘Parliamentary Warden’ of St Margaret’s, Westminster 
  • Volunteering as churchwarden at St Mary, Enville

Read more about some of the amazing ways Lord Cormack championed churches

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Our partners

We work closely with partners, funders and sponsors across the sector. They bring their specialist skills and experience to planning and promoting the awards and the expert judging panels often agonise over very tightly fought shortlists.

Marsh Charitable Trust

The Marsh Church and Community Hero Awards celebrate volunteers who have had great ideas about using their church building, have contributed significantly to its sustainability, or who help their community using their building.

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral stands as a beacon over the city of Lincoln. As a holy place, it is home to a daily rhythm of prayer and worship for the people of the city and region. It welcomes visitors and pilgrims to experience the special quality that has drawn people over the centuries, and hosts a series of events.

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