Page 30 - Historic Churches 2013

30 BCD Special Report on Historic Churches 20th annual edition CATHEDRALC O M M U N I C A T I O N S
COMMUNITY
GRANTS
THE NATIONAL CHURCHES TRUST IN ACTION
Eddie Tulasiewicz
T here are an estimated 47,000
Christian places of worship in the
UK, and 19,500 – 40 per cent of them
– are listed. Indeed, of the most important
listed buildings in England, more than half
of those listed at Grade I are owned by the
Church of England. The importance of these
buildings as both places of worship and
as historic buildings is undisputed. What
is perhaps not so obvious is that churches
are playing an increasingly important role
in providing community facilities.
THE NATIONAL CHURCHES
TRUST SURVEY
As the only national charity supporting
churches of all Christian denominations, sizes,
ages and locations, the National Churches
Trust is in a unique position to assess the
requirements of the ecclesiastical estate. In
2010 the trust conducted the first national
survey on how the UK’s church buildings
are maintained and funded, and how they
contribute to their wider communities. The
survey was open to all Christian places of
worship in the UK and, encouragingly, around
9,100 places of worship engaged with it.
The overall message from the survey
was extremely positive: church buildings are
essential both to the UK’s heritage and to the
vitality of towns and villages up and down
the country. In addition to holding religious
services, the survey estimated that nearly
80 per cent of church buildings are used
for other purposes, including community
activities, and nearly half are used for cultural
activities, including arts, music and dance.
Church buildings are significant venues
for volunteering and the survey estimates
that more than 40 per cent of the UK’s
church buildings are being used for support
and counselling services on issues such as
homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse, finance
and debt, parenting and mental health.
The survey also found that although many
church buildings have key facilities, there is
much room for improvement. It was estimated
that nearly a third of the UK’s church buildings
have no toilet facilities, and that listed buildings
are generally the least well equipped. Many
church buildings also lack adequate heating or
tea and coffee-making facilities. Those which
do have these basic facilities are more likely
to offer additional community activities.
THE COMMUNITY GRANTS
PROGRAMME
The importance of providing facilities such as
toilets and kitchens and improved access for
members of the public is now recognised as a
key way in which churches can remain at the
heart of local communities. That is why, in
2008, the National Churches Trust introduced
the Community Grants Programme. The
programme aims to enable wider and more
active community use through the installation
of new facilities and so ensure that the UK’s
churches and chapels remain living buildings
integrated into their local communities.
Since 2008 the trust has awarded
119 community grant offers totalling
£1.3 million. Applications for the community
grants programme are assessed by
the National Churches Trust’s grants
committee using the following criteria:
• Benefit – what is the demonstrable social
benefit of the proposed project?
• Design quality – has its impact on the
building been considered/challenged?
• Stakeholder participation – what planning,
organisation and coordination efforts
have or will be carried out by the place of
worship to maximise the project’s chances
of success?
• Attainability – is the project practical and
attainable? Will a grant enable the work to
be carried out?
A prime example of a place of worship
benefitting from a community grant is
Memorial Community Church in Plaistow,
in the east London borough of Newham.
The church building, which was originally
called the Memorial Baptist Church, was
opened in 1922 to house the congregation
and the church’s welfare work, and it remains
a vital and welcoming community hub.
In 2011 the trust awarded the church
a £20,000 community grant to pay for the
installation of toilets and improved access,
including a ramp, new flooring, wide self-
The congregation at Memorial Community Church, Plaistow, London. The church was awarded a £20,000
community grant by the National Churches Trust in 2011.