Changes by the Government have made repairs to any listed place of worship up to 20 per cent more expensive to carry out. Despite this devastating blow for churches, we are pleased to announce in our latest round of grants, we have helped 42 churches, chapels and cathedrals, so they can help keep their buildings open and serving the community.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partner organisations, together we have been able to:
- Fix the roof at one of the oldest churches in Plymouth,
- Make a Welsh Valley’s medieval church fit for modern times by helping them install a kitchen and accessible toilet,
- Prevent a much-loved Bedfordshire church from being put on the Heritage at Risk Register,
- Ensure an Arts & Crafts Presbyterian church in Northern Ireland can stay open - if repairs were not carried out soon, the building might no longer be fit to use,
- Repair the roof at a North Yorkshire church famous for its 850-year-old Viking door,
- Transform a beautiful 1932 church into a vibrant community hub in one of Glasgow’s most deprived neighbourhoods.
Hear from some of the churches helped
Fixing an unsafe 12th century tower in Conwy, Wales
The tower at St Mary’s in Conwy, just outside of Eyri [Snowdonia National Park], is in such poor condition that weeds are growing inside. As well as water damage, many of the stairs are worn out and unsafe.
The church has huge historical significance; it was originally built as a Cistercian monastery in 1186, but was damaged during the conquest of Cymru in 1282 in the reign of King Edward I.
Fixing the tower preserves not only the heritage of this important building but ensures that the community and congregation can also continue to use this building to the benefit of all.
“I am absolutely thrilled that both the National Churches Trust and the Wolfson Foundation have so generously agreed to support the much-needed restoration of the tower at St Mary’s Church in Conwy,” shares Chris Roberts, Area Warden of the Bro Celynnin Ministry Area and Director of Music at St Mary’s Church Conwy.
“The state of the tower has been an increasing worry for us over the past few years and these grants... will help enormously to secure our building’s future and ensure that we are able to continue with the work in the community to which we are committed.”
Preventing even more stone fall in Kent
Every three days, a piece of flint is falling off St John the Baptist church in Sutton-at-Hone, Kent. These pieces of stone can range from 600g to a whopping 1kg from a height of 12 metres or more – a health and safety risk. There are also ‘voids’ in the masonry, weakening the structure of the church, making it vulnerable to birds and squirrels entering and causing further damage.
The Grade I Listed building houses a number of significant monuments, including that of Thomas Smythe (1558-1625), the first Governor of the East India Company and Abraham Hill (1633-1721), a founding member of the Royal Society.
It is also of huge historical significance and can trace its history back to Roman times as there are pieces of Roman brick patched into the walls that are likely to be from an earlier church that stood on the site – pre-1066.
“These grants from the National Churches Trust and Wolfson Foundation will make all the difference to us being able to achieve the necessary repairs at St John’s,” says Revd Emma Young, vicar at St John’s.
“On behalf of all who love and care for St John’s, I am immensely grateful to the National Churches Trust and the Wolfson Foundation for their generosity.”
Tackling food poverty in Blackpool
Layton Methodist Church is located in an IMD 1 area – the highest on the UK’s national indictor for deprivation. But the church is struggling to keep up with demand for its food bank and community café. Facilities at the beautiful interwar building are holding them back from helping more people.
A grant from the National Churches Trust will help the church to expand the kitchen and connecting facilities to accommodate additional workspaces, equipment and storage space, which significantly increases the church’s ability to provide nutritional meals to people in need.
“This grant from the National Churches Trust is truly transformational,” shares Mark Walmsley, Volunteer Chair of Layton Methodist Forward Project.
“It will allow us to expand our kitchen and do even more to support people in Layton and across Blackpool – a town that is broadly affected by deprivation and hardship.
“This grant brings us closer to our long-term vision: creating a sustainable community café model that doesn’t just help people cope – it helps lift them out of poverty. We’re incredibly grateful.”
Explore the impact of the grants
Click on the interactive map below to find out details of all grants awarded in this latest round of funding and how this has made a difference to the church.
