National Churches Trust facts for kids
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| Predecessor | Historic Churches Preservation Trust (1953); Incorporated Church Building Society (1818) |
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| Formation | 2007 |
| Purpose | To promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community value across the UK |
| Headquarters | Faith House |
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Chief Executive
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Claire Walker |
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Chair
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Sir Philip Rutnam |
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Formerly called
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Historic Churches Preservation Trust |
The National Churches Trust is a charity in the UK. Its main goal is to "promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community value across the UK". This means they help protect and keep open churches that are important for their history, design, or for the people who use them.
The Trust helps in many ways. They give money to fix and update church buildings. They also support projects that help churches stay open for public use. The Trust works with local groups and volunteers. They offer advice and information, and they help people understand why churches need support. The National Churches Trust took over the work of older groups, including the Historic Churches Preservation Trust and the Incorporated Church Building Society.
History of the Trust
Why Churches Needed Help
By the middle of the 1900s, many church buildings in Britain were in bad shape. This happened because of big changes in society during the late 1800s and early 1900s. People moved around, and then World War II caused more neglect. Things became urgent in 1950, with articles in newspapers like The Times talking about the problem.
Around this time, a group called the Pilgrim Trust stopped giving money for church repairs. So, the Church of England Assembly (now called the General Synod of the Church of England) created a special group. This group was called the Repair of Churches Commission. Their job was to figure out what to do about the damaged churches.
Founding the Historic Churches Preservation Trust
This led to the creation of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust in 1953. It was registered as a charity. Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, a politician, was its first Secretary. To make sure the money was used well, the Trust set up local groups of architects. These experts advised the Trust until 2002.
When the Trust started, they estimated they needed £4 million to fix all the churches. They raised money in many ways. This included appeals on radio and TV, art shows, concerts, and donations from people and companies. Other charities also helped, such as the Pilgrim Trust and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Helping Churches Stay Open
From the beginning, the Trust gave money to fix both active churches and those no longer in use. In 1960, a group called the Bridges Commission suggested a new fund. This fund would help preserve churches that were important for their history or design. This led to the creation of the Redundant Churches Fund in 1968. This fund, later called the Churches Conservation Trust, used money from both the Church of England and the government. It helped save churches that were no longer used for worship.
It took until 1984 to raise the first £4 million. After that, donations became larger. By the end of 2005, over £27 million had been raised. In the year 2000 alone, they received over £2.2 million. The amount of money given to churches varied a lot. The smallest grant was £33 in 1957. The largest grants were £100,000 each to a church in Portsea, Portsmouth in 2000 and to Selby Abbey in 2005.
Who Gets Help?
To get a grant, a church had to meet certain rules. It had to be over 100 years old and belong to a recognized Christian group. It also had to be open for public worship. At first, only churches in England could get help. But in 1987, the program was expanded to include churches and chapels in Wales. The Trust's Grants Committee decides which churches receive money.
Some churches that received help later closed down. These are now looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. In 1983, the Historic Churches Preservation Trust also took over the Incorporated Church Building Society. This society was founded in 1818 and helped Anglican churches of any age. Sometimes, it even gave money for new churches. In 2006, the Trust also took over the work of the Open Churches Trust. Finally, in 2007, the Historic Churches Preservation Trust became the National Churches Trust.
There is also a government program called The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This scheme helps with important work on listed religious buildings. It has given millions of pounds to cover the VAT (a type of tax) on repairs.
What the Trust Does Today
Supporting Church Buildings
The National Churches Trust is a registered charity. Its main goals are to help fix, maintain, and improve Christian places of worship across the UK. This includes churches, chapels, and meeting houses. They also help with monuments, stained glass, furniture, organs, and bells inside these churches. The Trust also supports the building and development of churches in the UK.
In 2009, the Trust received nearly £1.9 million, mostly from donations. They spent about £2.7 million, with most of it going to their charitable work. The Trust is run by a board of Trustees. The Grants Committee makes decisions about giving out money.
Types of Grants
The Trust gives different types of grants:
- Grants of £10,000 or more are for urgent structural repairs.
- Grants between £5,000 and £25,000 help install facilities like toilets and kitchens.
Since 2005, the Trust has given over £9 million to more than 1,000 churches.
The Trust supports church buildings from any Christian group that is part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. They help churches across the entire United Kingdom. The Trust does not own churches, and it does not support churches that are no longer in use. They do not get money from the government or church authorities. Their income comes from individual donations, parishes, other Trusts, and investments. As of 2011, the Trust was not helping to build new places of worship.
The Trust works closely with a network of Local Churches Trusts across the country. People can also become a "Friend of the National Churches Trust" to support their work.
Public Awareness and Competitions
In 2013, BBC journalist Huw Edwards became a vice president of the Trust. In July 2017, the Trust started an online competition called Sacred Wales – Cymru Sanctaidd. The goal was to find the favorite church or chapel in Wales. This competition helped celebrate and raise awareness of Wales’ religious heritage.
Leadership and Awards
Key People in the Trust
The National Churches Trust has important people who help lead it:
- Patron: Queen Elizabeth II (until 2022)
- Vice Patron: Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
- Presidents: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and John Sentamu, former Archbishop of York
- Chief Executive: Claire Walker
- Chairman, Board of Trustees: Sir Philip Rutnam
- Chairman, Grants Committee: Sir Paul Britton
King of Prussia Gold Medal
The King of Prussia Gold Medal for Church Architecture is an award given by the National Churches Trust. It recognizes new and excellent repair work on churches. The medal was a gift from King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia in 1857. It was given to the Incorporated Church Building Society.
The award has been given out every year since the early 1980s. This was when the medal was found again during an office move. The winner holds the original medal for one year. After that, they receive a silver copy to keep. The National Churches Trust now manages the work of the Incorporated Church Building Society.
Presidents' Award
The Presidents' Award for church architecture started in 1999. It is presented by the Presidents of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and the National Churches Trust. The award includes a chalice (a cup) and a paten (a plate). These items were originally made after World War II for the Incorporated Church Building Society. They were meant to be loaned to new churches or those badly damaged by war. The winning church gets to keep the chalice and paten for one year.
Images for kids
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The official logo of the National Churches Trust.
