Saving Historic Churches.

Annual Review 2018-19 caption of cover image

St John the Baptist in Blawith, Cumbria © CCT / Andy Marshall

2 Celebrating 50 years of saving historic churches together.

Annual Review 2018-19

Welcome from CCT Chairman & CCT Chief Executive 4

Our churches 5-7

Recent achievements 8-9

Facts and figures 2018-2019 10-11

Learning and Participation update 12

Regeneration update 13

Volunteer awards 14

Our new strategy 15

A year in the life of CCT 16-17

Thank you to our patrons and donors 18-19 Front cover: St Peter’s, Deene Who we are 19 © CCT / Andy Marshall

3 CCT does important work. While the to-do list The main focus of this year was firmly on can seem daunting – beautiful buildings need devising a new strategy for CCT. As an constant care and attention (and that means organisation, we spent much of the year money and expertise) – the skill and passion reflecting on what we have achieved and what of our staff and volunteers is inspiring. Our we need to change to ensure that we can thanks go to all our donors and members: meet the challenges and take advantage of the the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & opportunities that exist. We consulted widely, Sport (DCMS), the Church Commissioners to ensure that we understood the needs of the and – via players of the National Lottery – to communities who care for our churches. The the Heritage Lottery Fund for its continuing result is a strategy that will help support the support. communities who care for our historic places of worship. Every one of our churches is unique and each faces different opportunities and challenges. The future of the historic parish church, In the summer, the Trustees visited several particularly in the countryside, is not clear. churches along the Thames Valley over two CCT seeks to ensure that we are ready days. The contrast between St Bartholomew’s, to use our infrastructure of maintenance, Lower Basildon, and All Saints’, Shirburn, was conservation and community skills to offer stark. Both are superb and full of historical a level of support to those wonderful people and artistic interest; but there the similarity who invest time, energy and money to keep ends. The former has been brought to life their churches open. by a dedicated, happy and growing group of local supporters; the latter has a spooky air CCT has restructured the staff team to better of sadness, and gaining access can seem reflect our new focus and we have more staff difficult (awkward neighbours), but if you are in engaging with communities who support the area do go; you will have a very rewarding historic churches across the country. experience. Not only are we working on our own As we look towards our 50th anniversary collection, but we are working very closely events next year, it is increasingly clear that with the Quakers in Norfolk to care for their our assets are not just buildings but people. historic meeting houses and we continue to It is no accident that our mission is to ‘Inspire work in partnership with the Historic Chapels People’, ‘Protect Heritage’ and ‘Create Trust (HCT) and Historic England to make Value’. We need to put people right at the sure that this collection of chapels has a heart of all we do. This means engaging with viable future. Next year we will be reporting communities to ask them what they want from on the progress of our new strategy, but none us and what we can do for them. We may own of this is possible without the support of the our churches, but in fact they belong to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport places where they are. By inspiring people, (DCMS), the Church Commissioners and all of we can better protect our heritage and create those people across England who love their lasting social and economic value. That is the historic church. principal aim of our evolving strategy.

Peter Ainsworth Peter Aiers CCT Chairman CCT Chief Executive

4 Our churches Bedfordshire St James’, Luffincott St Mary’s, Itchen Stoke St George’s, Edworth St Mary’s, North Huish All Saints’, Little Somborne St Michael’s, Farndish St Petrock’s, Parracombe The Old Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Margaret of Antioch, Knotting St Michael & All Angels, Princetown Preston Candover St Deny’s, Little Barford St Peter the Poor Fisherman, Revelstoke Holy Trinity, Privett St Mary’s, Lower Gravenhurst St Peter’s, Satterleigh St Mary’s, Potsgrove Holy Trinity, Torbryan Herefordshire West Ogwell, West Ogwell St Cuthbert’s, Holme Lacy Berkshire St John the Baptist, Llanrothal St Margaret’s, Catmore Dorset St Michael’s, Michaelchurch St Thomas’, East Shefford Old Holy Trinity, Bothenhampton The Church, Moreton Jeffries St Mary’s, Lambourn Woodlands All Saints’, Nether Cerne St Bartholemew’s, Richards Castle St Bartholomew’s, Lower Basildon St Cuthbert Old Chancel, Oborne St Cosmas & St Damian’s, Stretford St George’s, Portland St Mary’s, Wormsley Bristol St Edwold’s, Stockwood The Chapel, Yatton St John the Baptist, Bristol St Mary the Virgin, Tarrant Crawford St Mary the Virgin’s, Yazor St Paul’s, Bristol Whitcombe Church, Whitcombe St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol St Peter’s, Winterborne Came Hertfordshire St Andrew’s, Winterborne Tomson St Andrew’s, Buckland Buckinghamshire St Mary the Virgin, Little Hormead St Lawrence’s, Broughton East Sussex Oxhey Chapel, South Oxhey St Mary’s, Edlesborough St Andrew’s, Hove St James’, Stanstead Abbotts St Mary’s, Fleet Marston St Peter’s, Preston Park The Assumption, Hartwell Kent St Mary’s, Pitstone Essex St Mary’s, Burham St Michael & All Angels’, Thornton St Michael’s, Berechurch St Thomas à Becket, Capel St Mary’s, Chickney St Mary’s, Capel-le-Ferne Cambridgeshire St Leonard-at-the-Hythe, Colchester St James’, Cooling St Margaret’s, Abbotsley St Martin’s, Colchester St Michael’s, East Peckham All Saints’, Cambridge All Saints’, East Horndon St Mary the Virgin’s, Fordwich St Peter’s, Cambridge Holy Trinity, Halstead St Bartholomew’s, Goodnestone All Saints, Conington St Mary the Virgin, Little Bromley St Mary’s, Lower Higham St John’s, Duxford St Mary the Virgin, Stansted Mountfitchet St Catherine’s, Kingsdown Guyhirn Chapel, Guyhirn All Saints’, Vange St Clement’s, Knowlton St Michael’s, Longstanton St Mary’s, West Bergholt St Mary’s, Luddenham St Peter’s, Offord D’Arcy St Andrew’s, Willingale Spain St Benedict’s, Paddlesworth St John the Baptist, Parson Drove St Peter’s, Sandwich St Andrew’s, Steeple Gidding Gloucestershire St Mary’s, Sandwich St Cyriac & St Julitta, Swaffham Prior St Swithun’s, Brookthorpe All Saints’, Waldershare St Andrew’s, Ufford St James’, Charfield All Saints’, West Stourmouth St Michael & St Martin’s, Eastleach Martin Cheshire St Nicholas’, Gloucester Lancashire Christ Church, Macclesfield St Oswald’s Tower, Lassington The Old Church, Becconsall St Mary’s, Thornton-le-Moors St Mary’s, Little Washbourne Holy Trinity, Blackburn St Arild’s, Oldbury-on-the-Hill All Souls’, Bolton Cornwall St Nicholas of Myra’s, Ozleworth St Thomas’, Friarmere St Anthony-in-Roseland, Roseland St Nicholas’, Saintbury Christ Church Tower, Heaton Norris St Kenelm’s, Sapperton St John the Evangelist, Lancaster County Durham St Mary’s, Shipton Sollars St Leonard’s, Old Langho St Andrew’s, Shotley All Saints’, Shorncote St John the Baptist, Pilling St Saviour’s, Tetbury St Mary’s, Tarleton Cumbria St Ninian’s, Brougham Greater Manchester Leicestershire The Old Chancel, Ireby St George’s, Carrington St Peter’s, Allexton St Gregory’s, Vale of Lune St Edmund’s, Falinge All Saints’, Beeby St Werburgh’s, Warburton St Mary’s Tower, Brentingby Derbyshire St Michael & All Angels, Edmondthorpe St Werburgh’s, Derby Hampshire St Mary’s, Freeby All Saints’, Kedleston St Mary’s, Ashley St Mary’s, Garthorpe St Peter ad Vincula, Colemore All Saints’, Leicester Devon St John the Baptist, Upper Eldon St Mary Magdelene, Stapleford St Nonna’s, Bradstone St Nicholas’, Freefolk St Michael’s, Stretton-en-le-Field St Martin’s, Exeter St Mary’s, Hartley Wintney Withcote Chapel, Withcote 5 Lincolnshire North Yorkshire Talbot Chapel, Longford St Mary’s, Barnetby-Le-Wold St Martin’s, Allerton Mauleverer St Martin’s, Preston Gubbals St John the Baptist, Burringham St Mary’s, Birdforth St Mary the Virgin, Shrewsbury St Michael’s, Burwell Holy Trinity, Coverham St James’, Stirchley St Michael’s, Buslingthorpe St Michael’s, Cowthorpe St Michael’s, Upton Cressett All Hallows’, Clixby St Andrew’s, East Heslerton St Andrew’s, Wroxeter St George’s, Goltho St Stephen’s, Fylingdales All Saints’, Great Steeping St Mary’s, Lead Somerset St Barbara’s, Haceby St Mary’s, Roecliffe St Nicholas’, Brockley St Benedict’s, Haltham-on-Bain Christ the Consoler, St James’, Cameley All Saints’, Haugham Skelton-cum-Newby St Michael’s, Clapton-in-Gordano St Peter’s, Kingerby All Saints’, Skelton-in-Cleveland All Saints’, Dodington St Helen’s, Little Cawthorpe St Mary’s, South Cowton St Martin of Tours, Elworthy St Peter’s, Normanby-by-Spital St Mary’s, Stainburn The Blessed Virgin, Emborough St Nicholas’, Normanton St John the Baptist, Stanwick St Mary’s, Hardington Bampfylde St Mary’s, North Cockerington Holy Trinity, Wensley St Andrew’s, Holcombe St Andrew’s, Redbourne St Martin’s, Whenby All Saints’, Langport All Saints’, Saltfleetby St Peter’s, Wintringham Low Ham Church, Low Ham St Botolph’s, Skidbrooke Holy Trinity Goodramgate, York St Andrew’s, Northover St Lawrence’s, Snarford St Lawrence’s, York All Saints’, Otterhampton St Peter’s, South Somercotes St Thomas a Becket, Pensford St John’s, Stamford Northamptonshire Holy Saviour’s, Puxton All Saints’, Theddlethorpe All Saints’, Aldwincle St Mary’s, Seavington St Martin’s, Waithe Holy Trinity, Blatherwycke St Mary’s, Stocklinch Ottersey St John the Baptist, Yarborough St Andrew’s, Cranford The Church, Sutton Mallet St Peter’s, Deene St Thomas’, Thurlbear London St Bartholemew’s, Furtho St Nicholas’, Uphill St Andrew’s, Kingsbury All Saints’, Holdenby St James’ Tower, Upton St Lawrence’s, Little Stanmore St Peter’s, Northampton St Peter & St Paul, Preston Deanery South Yorkshire Merseyside St Michael’s, Upton St John the Evangelist, Cadeby Christ Church, Waterloo St John the Baptist, Wakerley St Peter’s, Edlington St Oswald’s, Kirk Sandall Norfolk Northumberland St John’s, Throapham St Mary’s, Barton Bendish St Andrew’s, Bywell Holy Trinity, Wentworth St Michael the Archangel, Booton St Nicholas’, Brandiston Nottinghamshire Staffordshire St Nicholas’, Buckenham St Michael’s, Cotham St Mary’s, Patshull St Michael’s, Coston Elston Chapel, Elston St Mary’s, East Bradenham St Gregory’s, Fledborough Suffolk St Mary’s, East Ruston St Peter’s, Gamston St Mary’s, Akenham St Nicholas’, Feltwell St Nicholas’, Littleborough St Mary’s, Badley St Andrew’s, Frenze St Wilfrid’s, Low Marnham St Mary’s, Bungay St Andrew’s, Gunton Milton Mausoleum, Markham Clinton St Mary’s, Chilton St Margaret’s, Hales St Martin of Tours, Saundby St Peter’s, Claydon St Gregory’s, Heckingham St Andrew’s, Covehithe St John the Baptist, Hellington Oxfordshire All Saints’, Ellough St Peter’s, Hockwold St Katherine’s, Chislehampton All Saints’, Icklingham St Mary’s, Islington St John the Baptist, Mongewell St Mary-at-the-Quay, Ipswich St Nicholas’ Chapel, King’s Lynn St Mary’s, Newnham Murren All Saints’, Little Wenham St Faith’s, Little Witchingham All Saints’, Nuneham Courtenay All Saints’, Newton Green St Mary’s, Moulton All Saints’, Shirburn St Mary’s, Redgrave St Peter’s, North Barningham St Peter’s, Wallingford St Mary’s, Rickinghall Superior St Augustine’s, Norwich St Andrew’s, Sapiston St John’s, Norwich Rutland All Saints’, South Elmham St Laurence’s, Norwich St Mary the Virgin, Ayston St John the Baptist, Stanton St George’s, Shimpling Holy Cross, Burley St Mary the Virgin, Stonham Parva All Saints’, Thurgarton St Botolph’s, Wardley St Peter’s, Sudbury St Andrew’s, Walpole St Andrew St Mary’s, Washbrook All Saints’, West Harling Shropshire All Saints’, Wordwell St Mary’s Bell Tower, West Walton St Peter’s, Adderley St Mary the Virgin’s, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdelene, Battlefield Surrey St Leonard’s, Bridgnorth St Peter & St Paul, Albury St Leonard’s, Linley Lumley Chapel (St Dunstan’s), Cheam St George’s, Esher 6 Tyne & Wear Worcestershire St Nicholas’, Fisherton Delamere © CCT St Stephen’s, Low Elswick St Michael’s, Churchill Holy Trinity, Sunderland St Mary Magdelene, Croome D’Abitot St Lawrence’s, Evesham Warwickshire St Bartholemew’s, Lower Sapey St John the Baptist, Avon Dassett The Church, Pendock All Saints’, Billesley All Saints’, Spetchley St Michael & All Angels’, Brownsover St John the Baptist, Stensham All Saints’, Chadshunt St Swithun’s, Worcester St Peter’s, Wolfhamcote

West Sussex St Botolph’s, Botolphs St John the Evangelist, Chichester St Wilfrid’s, Church Norton St Giles’, Merston St Mary’s, North Stoke St Mary Magdelene, Tortington The Holy Sepulchure, Warminghurst

West Yorkshire St Stephen’s, Copley All Souls’, Halifax Haley Hill All Saints’, Harewood St John the Evangelist, Leeds

Wiltshire All Saints’, Alton Priors St Nicholas’, Berwick Bassett St Leonard’s, Berwick St Leonard St Mary’s Church, Chute Forest St James’, Draycot Cerne St Peter’s, Everleigh St Nicholas’, Fisherton Delamere All Saints’, Idmiston St Giles’, Imber St John the Baptist, Inglesham All Saints’, Leigh St Margaret of Antioch, Leigh Delamere St Mary’s, Maddington St Mary’s, Old Dilton St George’s, Orcheston St Andrew’s, Rollestone St Mary’s, South Tidworth St Mary & St Lawrence, Stratford Tony St Leonard’s, Sutton Veny Borbach Chantry, West Dean St Mary & St Nicholas, Wilton

7 Recent achievements

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Blackpool, Friends Meeting House, Norwich HCT Chapel. CC BY-SA 3.0 Wikipedia

CCT’s brand new look Maintenance project with Quakers Historic Chapels Trust in Norfolk In March 2019, as part of our vision CCT began working with The Historic for the future, we undertook a CCT recently started working with Chapels Trust (HCT) in 2018, taking brand refresh exercise, which was the Quakers in Norfolk to support over the day-to-day running of the underpinned by extensive research volunteers caring for their historic organisation, including its 20 historic into audience perceptions of our meeting houses. Our team can make chapels, for a period of one year organisation. sure that the Quaker volunteers whilst a strategic review took place. are supported in the care of their HCT was established in 1993 to This research showed that buildings, informed of the work look after historic redundant places preconceptions of the work of needed, and that we respond to any of worship other than those of the CCT, and a more general societal building fabric issues about which Church of England, receiving core indifference to organised religion, the volunteers inform us. funding from Historic England. led some people to see historic These sites include non-conformist church buildings as irrelevant. The At CCT we are uniquely placed and other non-Anglican places of brand refresh sought to overturn to develop an infrastructure of worship. this perception, demonstrate CCT’s support for groups and volunteers personality and build an identity who care for religious heritage. We However, increased pressure on around which existing interest groups can apply the experience we have public sector funding has meant and new supporters can cohere. gained over the last 50 years of that future support cannot be managing our own collection, and guaranteed. With the support of CCT worked with designer Jim supporting our volunteers, to support Historic England, the Trustees of HCT Sutherland who has previously other volunteers and buildings across commissioned a strategic review worked on the rebranding of The the country. Our fully tendered to look at a sustainable future for Arts Society and The Natural History maintenance service extends right their properties and a way forward Museum and has also designed over across England and includes annual for the charity. During the review 50 stamps for The Royal Mail. maintenance and inspection visits, period, and in addition to taking an emergency 24/7 call-out service over the administration of HCT The brand refresh sees an evolution and small repairs and periodic and its properties, CCT has been of the old arch-shaped logo to maintenance. undertaking an assessment of the reflect the variety of place, people sites and looking in detail at longer- and activities at CCT. The designs term commitments. Through this drew inspiration from the wealth of partnership, CCT hopes to share diverse arches in our churches and a knowledge and expertise in helping selection of different arches can be HCT to achieve a positive and used as a graphic feature to show sustainable future. the variety of CCT’s work.

8 © Hugo Clark A flying success Thanks to the National Heritage This project is committed to finding Out of the 102 project churches, Lottery Fund, our Bats in Churches solutions that place equal value on seven belong to CCT: All Saints’ Project has really taken off... churches, bats and communities Church in Theddlethorpe and will run from 2019 to 2023. (Lincolnshire), St Mary’s Church in A ground-breaking project led by By bringing together heritage, Wiggenhall (Norfolk), the Church of St Natural England to help churches community and nature conservation, John the Baptist in Parson Drove that host large bat roosts was we will develop sustainable solutions (Cambridgeshire), St Mary’s Church granted £3.8 million of funding by that can be repeated at other sites in in Freeby (Leicestershire), St Mary’s the National Lottery Heritage Fund in a long-lasting legacy. CCT will work Church in Garthorpe (Leicestershire), October 2018. closely with professional ecologists St Peter’s Church in Wintringham to understand the ways in which bats (N. Yorkshire) and St Andrew’s Old The funding is helping to deliver a use church buildings. We will also be Church in Holcombe (Somerset). five-year partnership project, bringing working with heritage conservators together wildlife, heritage to understand the impacts upon Each of these churches has conservation and church church fabric and furnishings and been conserved by the Churches organisations to save bats and will develop a network of skilled Conservation Trust because they protect churches for future volunteers in both heritage and are of architectural or archaeological generations. the natural world with close links significance. However, the historic together. The demonstrable, practical fabric has been exposed to the The UK’s bat population has suffered techniques and solutions for the presence of bats, their droppings significant historical decline, which is project churches we are working with and urine, for years. Some churches why bats are protected by UK will be deliverable at other church in the project are receiving bespoke law. Loss of natural habitats means locations in the future and will be a capital works to alter the ways in some bat species have been forced source of knowledge for ecologists which the bats use the inside of to find safe havens in buildings and heritage people to draw upon. the building or protect the historic including historic churches. artefacts, for example through the The Churches Conservation Trust installation of bat boxes, blocking in Many church communities live in particular is working within the entry points or installing deflectors. harmoniously with bat roosts. project to promote and preserve the However, in some cases, bats survival of historic building fabric. Through close work with heritage are causing irreparable damage Staff from CCT have designed and professionals and ecologists, the to historically significant church will deliver conservation cleaning project will aim to find the most monuments and memorials as well as workshops with a focus on cleaning suitable outcome for each of the 102 impacting upon the people who use up bat droppings and urine and will project churches. Find out more at the buildings. be working closely with church batsandchurches.org.uk communities and ecologists to find Natural England is working in the best approach. CCT will also partnership with The Church of advise on conservation approaches, England, Historic England, Bat when to call in a conservator and Conservation Trust and The Churches will be promoting the great value of Conservation Trust to deliver this historic churches within the ambitious and innovative project. project.

9 Key figures for 2018 - 2019 To read a full copy of our statutory accounts, go to visitchurches.org.uk/accounts 2060 members

1.76 million visitors to our churches

1800 volunteers

66 friends groups

Prepared a new five year strategy Legacies provided £254,000 of unrestricted income

Regeneration worked with 69 community groups Team (growing from 40 the previous year)

10 Contactless

giving piloted in York

Achieved our annual appeal target for Sunderland appeal

91% of expenditure Champing is spent on frontline projects we had 21 Champing churches, which included three franchises and we had a total of 1200 champers. Champing also featured on BBC Countryfile, which has an audience of over 8 million people

12 historic church tours just over 200 individual bookings Increase of 46% we doubled the participation at our family and learning events, reaching 6,553 people compared to 3032 last year

11 Learning and Participation update CCT continues to promote the significance of church heritage through two exciting partnerships...

Allchurches Trust grant Google Arts & Culture launch

The Heritage Schools programme By teaming up with Google Arts continues to thrive. CCT is the & Culture, we are able to give national delivery partner of this history, art and architecture lovers project which is now in its eighth new access to the secrets held in year and is part-funded by The historic churches the length and Department for Education. This year, breadth of England. Using Google’s CCT’s Heritage Learning Officers cutting-edge Gigapixel Art Camera, welcomed a total of 6,315 school museum-quality artefacts and children to historic churches up and artworks from our churches have down the country, smashing the been captured and curated into new milestone of 15,000 pupils since online exhibitions. the project began. Our engaging Learning Outside the Classroom Some of the highlights include sessions involved school children of curious medieval wall paintings different ages and abilities focusing hidden away in the ancient village on a range of curriculum subjects of Broughton, Buckinghamshire, such as History, Art, RS, Maths and a window into York’s medieval and Science. These sessions were history is revealed in astonishing always tailored to the specific church detail through stunning stained glass. heritage found at each site. Virtual visitors can step inside ancient churches with 360-degree Streetview We were delighted to receive a grant tours and meet fascinating but of £52,125 towards this learning lesser-known women from history, programme from Allchurches Trust. from 10th-century royalty to 19th- © Google Arts and Culture This generous, one-off grant provided century social reformers. us with a great opportunity to build a robust and sustainable funding model Chloë Meredith, Learning and from 2019 onwards. Facilitated by Participation Project Manager at CCT three full-time Heritage Learning said, ‘The Churches Conservation Officers, the Heritage Schools Trust is always looking for new programme has actively engaged ways to share our collection of 353 school-aged children and young outstanding historic churches with people in learning activities. The a broad audience and to bring alive grant from Allchurches Trust match- their extraordinary stories. Thanks funded the ongoing support from The to this partnership with Google Arts Department for Education as part of & Culture, we’re now able to share the Heritage Schools partnership. these architectural gems with global audiences and enable people to Sir Philip Mawer, Chairman of explore them in a totally new way.’ Allchurches Trust, says, ‘Allchurches Trust is pleased to be able to support Suhair Khan, UK Lead at Google the valuable work of the Churches Arts & Culture, said, ‘We are thrilled Conservation Trust’s Heritage to have partnered with the Churches Learning Officers. We recognise the Conservation Trust and to have been unique role they play in providing able to help capture the beauty and stimulating and creative learning architecture of some of England’s opportunities for children and families historic churches. We hope that at CCT churches, helping them to bringing them online will allow for appreciate their significance to local visitors from around the world to heritage and as historic places of learn about their unique stories and worship. We trust that our grant will heritage.’ help in the process of securing the future of these roles for many years to come.’

12 Holy Trinity, Sunderland © CCT

Regeneration update The past year has certainly proved to be a success for CCT’s Regeneration Team

Three major projects

CCT’s Regeneration Team were successful with two National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) grants in 2018: £2.8 million for Holy Trinity, Sunderland, providing the funds needed to repair and secure the future of the church, and a £275,000 development grant for St Peter’s, Sudbury, allowing CCT to work with the local friends group to undertake plans for vital repairs and improvements that will sustain the building for the long term. These are in addition to the NLHF grant secured for St Swithun’s, Worcester, in 2017. Having three major projects in each CCT region has been a huge victory, and it would not have been possible without the support of our partners and donors. The St Swithun’s and Holy Trinity projects are due to be completed in autumn 2020, and the team are working towards a March 2020 round two submission to the NLHF for St Peter’s to secure the funds for the building works.

Taylor Review workshops

CCT’s Regeneration Consultancy service has successfully secured the commission from Historic England to carry out community training workshops as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)-funded Taylor Review pilot project. This project aims to support communities who are responsible for listed places of worship. Between September 2018 and March 2020, the team will be delivering 16 workshops focusing on five different topics: maintenance, community engagement, project management, fundraising and business planning.

CCT in Denmark

The Regeneration Team recently travelled to Denmark to share their community-led approach to regeneration. The team shared much valuable practical experience with groups keen to explore new ways of caring for rural churches. CCT’s Regeneration Manager, Tessa Harvey, led a round-table discussion with a pastor, church volunteers and others involved in encouraging a broader range of uses of places of worship. With church attendance in decline – a trend exacerbated by the ‘flight’ of rural populations to urban centres – Danish communities in remote areas are facing a growing need to reimagine their church buildings as welcoming community spaces alongside their religious functions. While in Denmark, CCT also worked with aspiring architects at the Aarhus School of Architecture, hosting a workshop on sustainable uses for rural places of worship. This was an opportunity to explore different ways of measuring the value, or ‘significance’, of a historic church building and using that understanding to inform the development of new activities. The session provided students with new inspiration and practical approaches to incorporate in their individual project studies. By sharing CCT’s experiences, we hope to encourage others to find creative ways to secure the future of these important cultural landmarks.

13 Outstanding contributions from our volunteers Volunteers from across the country were recognised at our Volunteer Awards and conference in January, hosted at The British Library and supported by the Marsh Christian Trust.

The seven award categories recognised those who had made an outstanding contribution to their local church and community, illustrating the astonishing range of activities and events that take place across our 353 churches.

The seven categories were awarded as follows: © CCT

Volunteer of the Year for the North: Fel Birk, Christ the Consoler, Volunteer Teams of the Year: Young Volunteer of the Year: Skelton-cum-Newby, North Yorkshire Roisin Ryan-Self, Friends of St Bartholomew’s, Lower St Peter’s in Sudbury, Suffolk Fel has opened the church at Basildon and Friends of Milton Skelton-cum-Newby, daily, for Mausoleum, Nottinghamshire Roisin is an event steward at St the past 15 years and has been Peter’s in Sudbury and has recently particularly supportive after a recent Friends of St Bartholomew’s in taken on the role of Communications spate of vandalism which led to the Lower Basildon: In 2018, the Friends Officer. She has brought considerable removal of the wall safe. completed their clock restoration experience from her day job at a project for which they raised over marketing agency along with a fresh Volunteer of the Year for the South £10,000. They were a great help approach to how the church can East: Helen Saddleton, in supporting the West Region’s promote itself on social media. Area Volunteer in Essex Trustees’ Tour and hosted a volunteer celebration event for over 100 people Digital Volunteer of the Year: Helen joined CCT as a volunteer at the church. Jessica Clarke two years ago as the first Area Volunteer in Essex. She has since Friends of Milton Mausoleum, Jessica has supported and enabled made a huge contribution to the Nottinghamshire: The Friends of CCT to promote its historic churches understanding of maintenance issues Milton Mausoleum were only founded on the Google Arts & Culture at the five churches she supports and three years ago and have brought platform. She has worked hard to has forged excellent relationships their historic building back into complete the project, overcoming with local volunteers, providing an community use. They are a willing all technical issues with diligence important additional tier of support and determined team, and their and determination. Without her, the for them. efforts have recently been rewarded project would not have been such a by the arrival of electricity in the success. Volunteer of the Year for the West: building, thus enabling future events Mary Szuster, St Cuthbert’s in to be held all year round. Each winner was awarded £500 from Holme Lacy, Herefordshire the Marsh Christian Trust. Fundraising Volunteer of the Year: Mary has lived next door to St Teresa Brown, Holy Trinity in Privett, Cuthbert’s for her whole life and can Hampshire often be found on her lawnmower in the churchyard or cleaning the Teresa is the Volunteer Event inside of the church. This year she Coordinator and Tower Captain at is moving away, but has offered Holy Trinity, Privett, and has always to continue acting as key holder been an important part of the day-to- and caretaker for the church and day activities of the church. In 2018 churchyard, as she has done for she went above and beyond in her decades. role when she led the community in organising a fundraising flower festival at the church which raised £9,500 for urgent repairs to the north wall of the church.

14 Our new strategy 2019 - 2024 CCT recently launched a new strategy to better support communities who care for their historic church buildings. The prime purpose of the strategy is to shape CCT into a supportive infrastructure which can help communities across England practically care for their historic places of worship.

The strategy not only seeks to take best care of our collection of churches but widen our support so that we can use everything we have learnt to help more people and communities to care for their historic places of worship. Our overall objective is to ensure that society can care for historic places of worship.

There are three main pillars to our strategy:

1: We will use CCT’s infrastructure to enable communities to best care for their historic places of worship.

We will do this by offering maintenance, technical advice and support, fundraising and governance support and by entering into partnership agreements with local groups over the care of historic churches. Our Local Community Officers will be the contact with local people and will help to build support for our churches.

2: We will generate a surplus to invest in our churches through commercial activity.

Building on the firm foundations of the Regeneration Team’s consultancy service, Champing™, our maintenance service and film location work, we will develop our services to produce a surplus to invest back into our work.

3: We will promote the value of historic places of worship.

We will celebrate and demonstrate the importance of historic places of worship.

The CCT infrastructure will be dedicated to supporting communities and volunteers in opening and using these churches. These historic places of worship have a great deal to offer the local community and they tell a story of place in a way that no other building can.

15 A year in the life of CCT

April 2018 We received a National Lottery grant of £275,500 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to transform St Peter’s church in Sudbury, Suffolk, into an exciting new cultural and community centre. The grant is the first stage of an ambitious £2.8 million project to repair and adapt the Grade I listed building in the centre of Sudbury into a multi-use centre for community events, music, Champing at the Church of The Holy Sepulchre, arts and performance. Warminghurst © CCT / Joseph Casey

May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 We took stock of our recent CCT’s Champing™ church at Gogmagog: Voices of the Bells was successful events with the Warminghurst, West Sussex, was a new sound installation sited in the Commonwealth Big Lunch, where featured in a BBC episode of nave of the historic Holy Trinity thousands of people across the UK Countryfile. Presenter Matt Baker Church in Sunderland. Created by came together in CCT churches for met with Champers and CCT artist Matt Stokes, the installation communal feasts in celebration of the Chief Executive Peter Aiers to find reinterprets a peal rung on its bells Commonwealth and community. out more about the phenomenon in 1898. Although the bells were The Commonwealth Big Lunch is a of camping in churches. This silenced due to the condition of the partnership between educational Countryfile episode presented a bell tower, a new version of the charity the Eden Project and the significant opportunity to CCT, as peal has been given life by local UK Government, backed by CCT. the programme has an audience of composers, bell ringers, musicians, Lunches of all shapes and sizes took approximately 8 million viewers. singers and choirs, drawing lyrics place, strengthening community from the story of the church’s history. links and bringing people together to celebrate local and global connections through food.

16 August 2018 December 2018 Holy Trinity Church, York, was chosen Margaret Faultless, renowned to take part in a trial for contactless musician and co-leader at giving, as a way of collecting the Orchestra of the Age of donations from visitors. Contactless Enlightenment, was awarded the giving is being embraced by a prestigious Heritage Hero award number of charities as an alternative, by the Heritage Alliance. She was or an addition, to the traditional cash presented the award for her role as collection box. The contactless giving Musical Director of the ensemble, terminal at York has brought Music for Awhile, and its annual in nearly £3,000, with donations music festival at All Saints’ Church increasing each month. Since the in Alton Priors. As a committed initial trial, terminals have now been volunteer for CCT, Professor placed in our churches in Sandwich Faultless has raised more than and King’s Lynn. £35,000 since 1996 from ticket sales of the summer performances held in October 2018 the church. Our 2018 annual appeal, The Fight against Heritage Crime, was January 2019 Margaret Faultless launched. Sadly, crimes at historic 2019 marked the beginning of CCT’s churches across the country are on 50th anniversary celebrations. Since the increase and our appeal focused 1969 we have developed well March 2019 on prevention and awareness. beyond our initial purpose of merely Over 300 visitors searched for hidden Metal theft, vandalism and theft saving church buildings; today our creatures by torchlight at All Saints’ of cultural artefacts are the most approach is to find new uses for in Cambridge as part of a partnership common types of crime. This has the buildings that give them a fresh with Cambridge University been one of CCT’s most successful lease of life. Museums. The event was part of appeals to date. the Cambridge-wide Twilight at the February 2019 Museums, aimed at encouraging November 2018 Electric-folk duo, India Electric families to explore local sites after The CCT annual lecture was held at Company, continued to tour a dark. Children used UV torches St Margaret’s Church, Westminster. number of CCT churches. Described to hunt for neon figures, created Author and architectural editor by The Telegraph as ‘bursting with stained glass windows and told of Country Life, John Goodall, spoke invention and full of surprises’, the stories using shadow puppets. to a packed audience about his concerts were a huge success, book, Parish Church Treasures. drawing audiences from all over the country to hear innovative and exciting music performed in atmospheric, historic spaces.

© India Electric Company

17 Thank you to our patrons and donors CCT wishes to record its thanks for the continuing help and support it receives that enables it to do its work across its 353 churches. The list below notes CCT sponsors (who provide its Statutory Grant), the Trusts and Foundations, Friends of Churches, other organisations and individuals who, in the year, gave generously to the Trust. We are also grateful to other members and donors who prefer to remain anonymous.

The Trust’s Key Sponsors The Church Commissioners of the Church of England The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport The Department for Communities and Local Government (Coastal Revival Fund) The Department for Education

Chancel Club Members Ralph and Elizabeth Aldwinckle James Gilpin Sandy Arbuthnot Tim Harris Michael Bartlett Jono Hart Stephen Chater Rupert Lycett Green Adrian Clark Professor Vincent Porter Stephen Dawson and Tom Peers Michael Rimmer Graham and Rebecca Donaldson Professor Andrew Spicer Judith Donovan CBE Dave Stewart

Bulmer-Thomas Circle Chris Kenny Peter Aiers Mark Kirby Anthony Bennett Peter and Pamela Mansfield Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas CMG,OBE John Newman FSA The Revd Richard Coles Dr Michael Nussbaum Edward Harley OBE, DL Michael Robinson Peter Hirschmann Colin and Brenda Soden Simon Hood Michael Walker Charles Jenkins Miranda Wilson

Donors Corporate Partners Ned and Neva Asplundh Dave Stewart Entertainment Gary Boom E-Bound AVX Ltd Norma O’Flynn Google Arts & Culture Michael Fowle CBE, FCA Starck Uberoi Solicitors Ltd Professor Richard Jenkyns Swyncombe Ltd Ian Lennox Colin McCorquodale Robert McCracken

Trusts, Foundations and Organisations The Idlewild Trust Allchurches Trust The Kildare Trust Battens Charitable Trust The Loppylugs & Barbara Morrison Charitable Trust Donald Insall Associates The McCorquodale Charitable Trust Essex Community Foundation The Millichope Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The On Organ Fund Groundwork UK The Pettit Charity Harrison’s Charity The PF Charitable Trust Innogy Renewables UK Ltd The Sir James Knott Trust Michael Guest Charitable Foundation The Spiller Trust Sandwich Town Council The Tanner Trust The David Laing Foundation Trust The Veolia Environmental Trust The Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust Ward Forum Fund – Halifax The Fairfield Charitable Trust White Ladies Aston PCC The Historical Fellowship William A Cadbury Charitable Trust

18 Friends Groups Friends of St Botolph’s Church Friends of East Horndon Church Friends of St Leonard-at-the-Hythe, Colchester Friends of St Mary’s Church, Bungay Friends of St Peter and St Paul, Albury Friends of St Peter’s Church, Swingfield Friends of Stourmouth Church Holy Trinity Wensley Friends

Gifts in Wills or Pledged Gifts Gifts in Wills play an important and much valued part in supporting the work of the Trust. We would like to thank the following named donors and those who wish to remain anonymous for pledging a gift for the Trust in their Wills: Christopher Anderson Nigel Benford Darrell Buttery Richard Digby Day David Flemington Paul Mollard

In Memoriam CCT gratefully acknowledges donations given in memory of: Brian Anthony Alan Dawkins Val Pretlove

Who we are The Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. Since 1969, we have played a unique role in national life. Without our work, 353 historic churches might have disappeared entirely and, with them irreplaceable architecture, art and archaeology spanning over 1,000 years of history.

Copywriters Our Trustees Chana James Peter Ainsworth – Chairman Liz Parry Beth McHattie Jess Clarke Carol Pyrah Edward Harley OBE Design Liz Peace CBE George Reynolds Lady Lucy French (Until March 2019) Sir Simon Jenkins FSA FRSL President Sue Wilkinson His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales Will Donaldson

Vice Presidents and Patrons Chair of the Conservation Committee Baroness Kay Andrews OBE Carol Pyrah The Rt Hon the Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville CH, PC Debbie Dance MSC MRICS, FRSA Chair of the Finance, Audit and Resources Committee The Rt Hon Frank Field MP DL Liz Peace CBE Dame Liz Forgan DBE Dr Loyd Grossman CBE FSA Jools Holland OBE DL Dr Bettany Hughes OBE Christopher Knight Dr Janet Townsend-Stojic

19 Follow us on Social Media

Churches Conservation Trust, Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL visitchurches.org.uk Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0845 303 2760 Registered Charity No. 258612