Issue 37 Spring 23 WEB - Flipbook - Page 29
“Our long-term partnership with the National Churches Trust
builds on our wide-ranging experience of grant-making to conserve heritage and bring new life and purpose to cherished
churches and chapel buildings.
“We are delighted to be able to award the National Churches
Trust £1.9m to provide much needed support to places of
worship in Scotland, Wales and the North West of England.
“As we look to launch our new ten-year strategy this week,
we’ve listened to what the sector and the public want. This
grant will direct funding to where it’s most needed, protecting
and caring for some of our most precious and fragile heritage,
at the heart of communities.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are investing in
thousands of organisations small and large to protect, conserve
and celebrate the past for current and future generations”.
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches
Trust, said: “Churches and chapels are some of our most historic and beautiful buildings. At the centre of local communities,
they also provide a home for countless community support such
as playgroups, drop-in-centres and warm spaces, as well as
serving their core purpose as places of worship.”
“A huge thank-you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for
investing £1.9 million Cherish, a three-year project which will
see the National Churches Trust supporting places of worship
in Scotland, Wales and the North West of England.”
Above, church building work (c) National Churches Trust
“As well as providing much needed immediate help and practical support, this partnership will allow us to develop new ways
of supporting churches and chapels so that they can remain
open and available, in use and valued by all."
Huw Edwards, Vice-President of the National Churches
Trust, BBC journalist and broadcaster, said: "Historic
churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage.
So I’m delighted that, thanks to funding of £1.9 million from
the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Churches
Trust will be able to provide much needed practical support to
help keep places of worship in Wales, Scotland and the North
West of England open and continuing to serve local people.”
One of the churches to take advantage of the Treasure
Ireland project, on which this new Cherish project builds,
was St Macartan (The Forth Chapel) in the heart of the
Clogher Valley which was recently won the Church of the
Year Award.
Mary McGee, representative of 2022 Church of the Year
Award winner St Macartan’s, said “The National Churches
Trust has been invaluable to us in our journey to both discover
and appreciate our heritage and also in terms of financial support. The work of the project officer in Northern Ireland from
our first meeting with her has been so beneficial to our work
on St Macartan’s church."
"Through her site visits, online webinars and constant advice
it has given us the confidence to take our project forward and
reawakened in the community a renewed pride and respect for
Above, Lincolnshire Horncastle St Mary
courtesy of Push Creativity & NCT)
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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