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Church Buildings

Work with Historic Church Buildings Officer has evolved out of a post formerly jointly funded by the Diocesan Board of Finance and English Heritage North West Region. The work is guided by a Task Group and includes:

• Working with English Heritage to identify joint priority churches.
• Producing a Church Building Strategy for the diocese, which has been approved by the Church and Society Committee. 
• Developing partnerships with local government.
• Supporting joint priority churches.
• Signposting good practice procedures for maintenance, conservation, accessibility and ecology.
• St Clement, in the Parish of Ordsall & Salford Quays, has been awarded a grant by English Heritage for high-level structural repairs.

For further information, please contact Simon Ambrose, 0161 828 1410. 

Funding for historic churches

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund has said that it will make it quicker and easier for voluntary organisations to apply for £1bn worth of grants over the next five years. As part of its new strategic plan, launched in April 2008, it will offer more help to applicants and make decisions earlier in the development of a project. Stricter green criteria will be applied to all future bids and projects will be asked what they are doing to minimise their impact on the environment and ensure that they are using sustainable resources.

Further information can be found at www.hlf.org.uk

The Repair Grants Scheme for Places of Worship

Both English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have confirmed that their current commitments to the Repair Grants Scheme for Places of Worship will continue until at least 2010/11.

This Grant Scheme reopened in April 2008. For application documents go to:
English Heritage.

One important change is the requirement to provide regular advertised visitor access to your place of worship outside the usual hours of worship on at least 40 days of the year. There is also the need to comply with additional EU procurement regulations if more than 50% of your project is publicly funded. English Heritage is producing further guidance on this which should be available shortly.

Click here for Managing your Grant - an explanation of how English Heritage will support your project and what you must do to keep to the condition of the grant.

Developnig your church building

Faculty applications

For details of when and how to apply for a Faculty for work on your church building, visit the DAC section.

Using and managing your church hall or community space effectively

The Using your church hall or Community space booklet gives examples of church hall/community space letting agreements, a simple constitution, and other information to assist you with hiring out your church facilities.