Read our latest blogs and stories of churches we have helped and the people who help look after churches to keep them open, in good repair and being used for the benefit of local communities.
St Illtyd’s Church in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, desperately needed to remove failing asbestos tiles from their roof and make their building watertight again. They then found an ingenious way to do it – one that got local schoolchildren very excited.
A church in Northern Ireland has been designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This makes it the 34th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK and the second in Northern Ireland. This is a good news story for tourism in Northern Ireland. But should other UK churches follow this example to help attract even more visitors to these important buildings?
A few years on from receiving their Friends Award, we get an update from St Michael’s Church in Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, Wales, about how the grant from the award enabled the damp and dangerous church tower to be fully restored.
Our Last Chance Churches desperately needed help, were close to giving up and were struggling to see a way forward. But together we were able to change this. Thanks to an anonymous donor, we were able to create a fund, enabling every donation that was given to the Last Chance Churches to go twice as far. This led to £1 million being raised, enabling 18 churches to make urgent repairs, so they can now stay open and in use.
The UK’s churches are of huge historical and cultural significance. They are heritage that belongs to all of us. Over two thirds of UK adults agree that churches are a vital part of the UK’s heritage and history, and more than half of UK adults visited a church, chapel or meeting house last year.
After the great success of A Church Near You in 2023, Denis Dunstone has followed up with a volume of Welsh churches. Featuring a foreword from Bishop Rowan Williams, A Church Near You in Wales is an introduction to the nation’s medieval church buildings, complete with more than one hundred watercolour illustrations. Find out what inspired Denis to paint Welsh churches and what he loves about them.
Churches are the beating hearts of communities, providing vital support to local people. In many of them, you will find essential services based out of these historic buildings. Hear from St Marylebone parish church in London, which is home to both a GP practice and a counselling service, about how hosting these services have helped their church and community to thrive.
St John Ambulance is an iconic institution, known for providing first aid at public events like village fairs and sports competitions. But behind the service of these committed volunteers is a history that spans a millennium, and a London church at the heart of it.
Summer is the ultimate reading season. If you’re taking time off to unwind or to venture far and wide, a collection of books is always a great companion. This summer, we’ve got you covered. Find a page-turner you’ll have to get hold of with our top picks for church lovers.
During the election campaign, and before he became Prime Minister, Keir Starmer MP told us about his favourite church, St Martin’s Church, in Gospel Oak, London.
Opening your building up to the public is a great way of welcoming visitors into your church. And by tying it into a local heritage open day event, you could end up attracting many more people into your building. Ebrington Presbyterian church took part in a Heritage Open Day for the first time last year and managed to get their entire church and community involved. Here’s how they did it and the success they had.
Finding volunteers to help keep your church open and able to serve your community can be difficult. But support is out there to help you to not only recruit new volunteers, but to keep them engaged with your church. Ruth, from St Hilda in Redcar, shares some advice that helped their church attract volunteers.
