Churches Conservation Trust

At a Westminster Hall debate on 22 January, Sir Chris Bryant MP, the Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries, announced that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will continue for 12 months from March 2025.  The scheme provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and renovations to listed places of worship across the UK, but changes include a cap of £25,000 that each site can claim during the year, which can be spread across multiple claims. Greg Pickup, Chief Executive, Churches Conservation Trust, says: “Since its establishment in 2004, historic churches in the care of CCT have benefited from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which has helped to galvanise community fundraising efforts to greater effect and enabled crucial conservation repairs to take place.  There are some concerns that the scheme has only been extended for 12 months, and that a spending cap has been introduced. We await further announcements so that we can continue to support communities and churches beyond the initial 12-month period and continue to demonstrate the positive impact of the scheme.”   Extension of the scheme is a welcome step in what has been a time of uncertainly for those who care for historic churches. CCT awaits further news on the future of the grant scheme post March 2026. 

Happy 30th Birthday @HeritageFundUK - 30 years of lottery funding has transformed the UK’s heritage and made an enormous difference for CCT and places of worship. Thank you for your support. #NationalLottery30

Our Trustees help us preserve churches at risk by volunteering their time and expertise. We are immensely grateful for the wealth of skills and knowledge our trustees bring to CCT. Are you passionate about preserving historic churches? Then you might be interested in applying to become a trustee: https://lnkd.in/eBtNm37E We are the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. We are a secular charity, caring for over 350 churches and working closely with communities to bring these extraordinary buildings alive again. Our vision is for historic churches to be enjoyed by everyone as places of heritage, culture, spirituality and beauty and for the significant contribution they make to communities, society and the economy. If this sounds like something you would like to support, apply to become a trustee by 18th November 2024. Photographs by (in order) Joseph Casey, Andy Marshall, Graham White/EnglishParishChurches, Neill Rushton

There are nearly one million trustees across the UK and #TrusteesWeek is a great opportunity to come together to celebrate their immense wealth of skills, knowledge and achievements. Like all charities, we are indebted to our trustees for volunteering their time and expertise to help lead CCT.  If you are passionate about preserving historic churches, you might be interested in applying to become a trustee yourself. We are a secular charity looking after 358 historic churches across England and working closely with communities to bring these remarkable buildings alive again. Our vision is for historic churches to be enjoyed by everyone as places of heritage, culture, spirituality and beauty and for the significant contribution they make to communities, society and the economy. Please, see further details via the link below and apply by 18th November 2024 to help us preserve churches at risk: https://lnkd.in/eBtNm37E Images by (in order) Joseph Casey, Morag Macdonald, Suzanne Harris, Barru Cawston

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is the national charity caring for historic churches at risk. There are over 350 church buildings within our care, all of which are listed, and some of which are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. We aim to protect these churches, their building fabric, and their historic sense of place, while keeping them open for people to use. Maintenance is central to our conservation approach. We aim to preserve our churches through regular care, timely repairs and protection, and the Routine Maintenance Contracts are essential in delivering this. We are currently undertaking the retendering of the Routine Maintenance Contracts for the North region and we are inviting expressions of interest from suitably qualified conservation contractors. Within the North region, CCT is responsible for 110 churches across 17 counties, stretching from Shropshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire all the way up to Northumberland. Churches in the north estate have been divided into 9 clusters based on their geographical location, you will be asked to tender for whole clusters of churches. There is no minimum or maximum number of clusters that need to be tendered for. Each cluster will be awarded individually as a separate contract. The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 22 November. To assist you with deciding on whether you would like to submit a tender, we hope you may attend an information session via Zoom on either the 12th or 20th of November. Please find more information here: https://lnkd.in/epwPhYQ5

As a charity, we are grateful to our trustees for volunteering their time and expertise to help us preserve the 358 historic churches in our estate. If you are passionate about preserving heritage, you might be interested in applying for an exciting trustee role with us. We are a secular charity, protecting churches at risk and working with communities to bring them alive again. Our vision is for historic churches to be enjoyed by everyone as places of heritage, culture, spirituality and beauty and for the significant contribution they make to communities, society and the economy. If you are interested in supporting our work by joining our board of trustees, please see all details below and apply by 18th November, 2024: https://lnkd.in/eBtNm37E Images by (in order) Joseph Casey, Graham White, Diana Neale, Suzanne Harris

We're looking for an Estate Officer who will ensure the delivery of the North area's regional maintenance programme, comprising of routine, periodic, planned and urgent works, and the delivery of time limited maintenance consultancy and estate management projects. They will work alongside the Conservation Projects Manager to ensure regional estate compliance with CCT policies. Click here to find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eZB3Qzyr

We're looking for an Estate Officer to be the main point of contact for all Historic Chapels Trust maintenance related issues, liaising closely with contractors, local groups and volunteers. Alongside the Conservation Projects Manager for Chapels they will deliver the maintenance programme, including regulatory and legal compliance, as well as deal with utilities and insurance of chapels. Click here to find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eMSWjU7x

We're looking for a Compliance Officer, they will be instrumental in ensuring CCT complies with best practice in relation to the storage and use of people’s personal information, ensuring compliance with the relevant GDPR regulations and will also be responsible for ensuring that the CCT’s policies and procedures are compliant with the relevant Government Functional Standards as well as following good practice in relation to its governance policies and procedures. Click here to find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eUNSpPxH

We're looking for an IT Manager to provide support to staff and stakeholders, throughout CCT, to ensure end users are able to put their ICT provision to the most productive use. Click here to find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/eRDJU7Qh