Issue 37 Spring 23 WEB - Flipbook - Page 28
Cherish partnership
offers at risk churches
and chapels a guiding light
Cherish partnership offers at risk churches and chapels a guiding light
The National Churches Trust awarded £1.9m grant to boost skills, resources and funding for historic
places of worship
· Three-year grant programme partnering with The National Lottery Heritage Fund expands a proven
model supporting the sector
· Cherish partnership will focus on Wales, Scotland and the North West of England
· Grant will safeguard the future for some of the oldest and most treasured historic buildings in UK –
otherwise at threat of closure
· Scotland and North West of England will be supported in identifying potential community use for
places of worship
· Wales will benefit from developing the visitor offer of places of worship in Wales
Places of worship in Scotland, Wales and North West of
England (Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria)
will benefit from a £1.9m National Lottery Heritage Fund
grant, awarded to the National Churches Trust to keep historic churches and chapels thriving today, and tomorrow.
· Resourcing: three full-time local support officers based
in Wales, Scotland and North West England to build
relationships with places of worship and respond to local
issues.
· Digital Toolkit of buildings’ care, including income generation resources and materials to be used throughout the
UK, accessible to places of worship and for all faiths.
The three-year programme will provide cherished
churches and chapels with practical solutions to improve
how their buildings are cared for and secured for the
future. Financial support will be provided together with
initiatives to strengthen heritage management skills and
training for people who look after places of worship,
investing overall in local areas’ heritage, capability and resources.
· Training: building local capacity to look after buildings
in need, ownership and care of historic places of worship
- covering project management, writing funding bids,
maintenance skills and tourism.
· Visitors: improving access to and awareness of the value
of cherished churches and chapels, creating themed visitor trails and engaging with partners across UK heritage.
The funding will target the most critical areas improving
economic and community resources, providing important
benefits to places of worship and communities. These
include:
· Grants: dedicated to maintenance, project development
and small repairs, offering financial support of between
£500 and £10,000. Grants will be available from May
2023 through the National Churches Trust’s online
Grants Portal: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/getsupport/grants
The £1.9m grant from The National Lottery Heritage
Fund builds on ‘Treasure Ireland’, a pilot project in Northern Ireland, developed and managed by the National
Churches Trust.
The Treasure Ireland project helped over 300 places of
worship with grants, advice, training and resources. One
of the churches to take advantage of the project was St
Macartan’s - The Forth Chapel - in Augher, County
Tyrone which won the UK-wide title of Church of the
Year 2022.
· Maintenance: expert information and support to
proactively deal with a range of problems to avoid the
need for expensive repairs.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National
Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “As the UK’s largest funder of
heritage, we want to collaborate with organisations who share
our vision and understand heritage and the people they support.
· Crisis support: the National Churches Trust will work
in partnership with a variety of organisations and help
identify suitable support for communities facing the
potential loss of historic buildings.
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