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 two dedicated support officers, based in Scotland, who are on hand to help you with advice and training. To get in touch with David or Anne-Marie, please email cherishscotland@nationalchurchestrust.org
From serving in the Royal Navy to winning Radical Entrepreneur of the Year with the Sunday Observer, as well as working for a number of community and faith-based organisations, David brings extensive experience to the National Churches Trust. He is passionate about keeping churches open where possible, as well as helping them to become more self-sustaining. Please get in touch with David if you'd like advice and support for your place of worship.
Anne-Marie has worked with property in the Heritage sector for over 30 years. She believes historic churches can and do play an essential role in our community life and contribute to our sense of wellbeing. The need for good maintenance and the correct approach to traditional repair are the best ways for you to secure the future of your church, and Anne-Marie can help you to do this.
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 Scottish places of worship.
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.
We run regular events throughout the year, to help your place of worship.
Join us from 2-3pm on Tuesday 13 May. Are you planning a major repair, reordering or heritage project for your church? Are you thinking about or already preparing a National Lottery Heritage Fund application? Jon Hodges has been Project Manager for our Cherish project since May 2024, join him and a representative from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to learn more.
Join us online from 2-3pm on Thursday 15 May. Joseph Davies, Church Support Manager with Ecclesiastical Insurance will lead this session and take you through the steps and measures you can undertake to protect the building and its contents. Busting the myths about keeping the building open to welcome people in.
Cherish is helping us to target support at key areas where we are at great risk of losing priceless heritage.
High costs of repairs, dwindling congregation numbers and lack of financial support are making the future of many church buildings in Scotland uncertain. But the National Churches Trust is working in partnership with other organisations in Scotland to help equip places of worship to weather these uncertain times.
Cherish includes training, support, advice and funding for places of worship in Scotland, Wales and North West England (Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester).
