The National Churches Trust is supporting the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Building's (SPAB) 'National Maintenance Week', which runs from Friday 20 - Friday 27 November 2020.
The campaign reminds anyone who looks after buildings - regardless of age, type or purpose - of the simple, achievable steps they can take to keep them in good condition.
It includes National Gutters Day, a gentle, light hearted reminder, which takes place on Friday 27 November, for everyone to spare 10 minutes to make a simple check on the condition of any property they care for.
Church buildings and maintenance
Maintenance is absolutely essential to keep church buildings in good condition, open and able to welcome and serve the public.
On Friday 20 November at 2.30 pm, one of the first events happening in National Maintenance Week is Local Treasures. This online event and awards ceremony, organised by the National Churches Trust, celebrates the unsung local heroes who look after church buildings.
You can register for the event or watch a video of the event on our Local Treasures page. Free places can be booked for the event.
During the online event the winning local groups for The Nayler Awards will be announced. These are given for excellence in church maintenance in 2020, with £12,500 in prizes going towards the care of one winning church and two runners up. The awards are supported by The Pilgrim Trust.
Videos and Maintenance Plan Checklist
Local Treasures will also feature a chance to see exclusive clips from new videos about church maintenance which have been produced by the SPAB, with the financial support of Historic England and input from the National Churches Trust.
The videos complement a new Maintenance Plan Checklist which makes it easy for volunteers to plan and carry out church building maintenance. The Checklist can be downloaded from our Regular Maintenance webpage.
Also featuring as part of the Local Treasures maintenance event will be the awards ceremony for the National Churches Trust Friends' Vote, 2020, which sees four churches in the running to receive a special £10,000 Friends of the National Churches Trust grant.
Catherine Townsend, Head of Church Support at the National Churches Trust said:
"The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Building's annual National Maintenance Week is an important event that helps to safeguard the UK's architectural heritage."
"With funding for repairs in short supply, it is very important that churches prioritise the maintenance of their buildings."
"Regular maintenance checks, and proactive maintenance repairs, ensure the preservation of original historic building fabric by reducing the need for major repairs. They also save money in the long-term as delaying maintenance leads to higher repair costs."
"I'm delighted that some excellent new resources are now available to make it easier to maintain church buildings."
New videos
"These include five new videos, produced by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), with funding from Historic England and input from the National Churches Trust.
These engaging and easy to follow 'how to guides', launched during National Maintenance Week (20 - 27 November 2020) explain clearly the key things to look out for when maintaining a church building. They cover key areas including how to look after and maintain roofs, rainwater goods, exteriors, interiors and building services."
"The videos show how easy it is to use the new Maintenance Checklist resource which has been produced by SPAB, Historic England and the National Churches Trust. The Maintenance Checklist is a great tool which will help volunteers who look after church buildings determine maintenance priorities, organise their time and resources effectively and to record observations and work carried out."
"I am delighted that these new resources are now available. These will be a great help to people responsible for looking after church buildings and will make it easier to safeguard the UK's churches, chapels and meeting houses."
Grants to help with maintenance.
The National Churches Trust has grants available to help fund maintenance work at churches, chapels and meeting houses of any denomination throughout the UK.
Foundation Grants for Maintenance - Small grants to support small, urgent maintenance and repair issues or to carry out small investigative works costing up to £10,000.
Preventative Maintenance Micro-Grants - Grants to support the cost of MaintenanceBooker maintenance services.
