Rural churches at risk

All Saints church in Muggleswick, County Durham, could have had a very different future. Like many other historic rural churches, the building was running at a loss. With fewer people in the area because of the loss of farming and mining jobs, the church was running out of options. With a congregation of just eight, how was it going to pay for the urgent repairs?

Closure was looming.

In the UK today, one in 20 churches say they are not sure if they will be here in five years' time. Rural churches, like All Saints, with fewer volunteers and smaller congregations, are particularly vulnerable.

All Saints is perched high on a hilltop on the edge of moorland, near to Muggleswick Woods and the ruins of the ancient, Grade I Listed Monastic Grange. In its graveyard are nine Grade II Listed graves – including a dissenter linked to the Gunpowder plot!

There's been a church on this site since the Anglo-Saxons, even though the current building is 18th century. Across hundreds and hundreds of years, a church here has provided refuge and community. But only recently has its future been uncertain. It is in this generation that the building could have shut its doors for good.

All Saints is thriving again, thanks in part to a grant from the National Churches Trust. As well as making urgent repairs to the leaking roof and porch, the grant enabled the church to install a kitchen and an accessible toilet.  

"We are very grateful for the support of The National Churches Trust, this will secure the future of this much-loved church which has been part of the community for hundreds of year," Helen Barrass and Lynne Bean, Churchwarden’s at All Saints, told us when they received the grant.

Today, the church offers champing™ – church camping – which gives it a regular income. This was only made possible because of the new facilities. Bookings doubled this year. The church is located on two trails and is working with local tourism organisations to help increase visitor numbers and its work is boosting the local economy. Regular services for worship are still held.

Saving a church for the future isn't just about fixing a roof. Our vision is to see open churches thriving at the heart of their communities. By donating today, you can help churches, like All Saints, have a sustainable future.

There are sadly so many more churches still at risk today – that need your help. This year – for the first time in more than two decades – churches now need to pay VAT on any repairs or maintenance. This has made every repair bill 20% more expensive.