DON'T JUST LOVE THEM. HELP SAVE THEM.

Plague, war, fire. Churches have stood through it all. But they won’t survive the next five years without you. Please donate today and help save churches at risk in the UK. Your donation can protect breath-taking art, architecture and stories that span centuries.

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Keeping church buildings open and in use

Our impact in numbers

We want to keep the UK’s wonderful collection of church buildings well maintained, valued and in use. Working on the ground in all four nations, we support churches of all denominations. Our vision is to see open churches thriving at the heart of their communities.

  • Over 2000 churches, chapels, meeting houses and cathedrals

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

  • £ 2.6 million awarded in 2025

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

  • 12 churches and chapels

    removed from the Heritage at Risk Register in 2025 with the support of our grants.

Church of the Week

Church of the Week

Coddington, Nottinghamshire

St Nicholas in Oddington, Gloucestershire, our Church of the Week, was abandoned multiple times before being saved by a determined Friends group who have brought it back to vibrant life. A simple church nestled among trees a short walk from the village, St Nicholas has a showstopping surprise inside – perhaps the largest Doom Painting in Britain. Doom Paintings are medieval wall paintings depicting Judgement Day. In spite of this and many other historical treasures, the church was abandoned until 15 years ago, when a new Friends group formed with the aim of getting the church open again. Now, thanks to their hard work and dedication, the church is open daily. But the windows at St Nicholas need urgent repairs to ensure the church can stay open. A grant from the National Churches Trust, as well as further grants from the Wolfson Foundation and the Headley Trust on our recommendation, will help the church on their way. “To have received this grant means so much to everyone,” says Mark Gabbertas, Fundraising Lead and Fabric Officer at the church. “It is in effect the realisation of all the work that has gone before to ensure this wonderful building and place of worship is equipped for another 1000 years.”

View Coddington All Saints

Join us and play your part in safeguarding the UK's amazing heritage

A round tower grey stone church pictured on a very stormy day
Broken Taco

Speak up: the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund (and the VAT problem that won’t go away)

The UK Government has now opened the Places of Worship Renewal Fund – a new £92 million four-year-fund to help listed churches in England with repairs. It is good news that the Government sees churches as worth investing in – especially as the future of churches is our biggest heritage crisis. Read our analysis on how the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will work and what it will fund, how it compares to previous support from the UK Government, and what must happen for churches across the whole of the UK to be kept open and in use.

Front cover of the National Churches Trust Annual Review 2025-2026

Celebrate what we have achieved together

In 2025, we were able to award 326 grants to keep churches open and in use. Whether you already support us, or are reading about our work for the first time, our message to you is the same: we will continue to make every effort to keep the UK’s churches open and in good condition for the benefit of all, both now and in generations to come. Your support is vital in helping us to achieve this.

A light stone Somerset church with a prominent tower on the left
Chris Taylor

Read more: hope not lost as 47 churches receive vital funding

Hear from some of the churches about how the grant will help them, while learning about some of the heritage and history that has been protected. Every church supported by a grant from the National Churches Trust must open their doors to visitors outside services, so why not plan a visit to one of these wonderful buildings and see their beauty for yourselves.

Please donate to help churches

Act now before our historic churches are gone forever.

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