When God closes a door…
TODAY, the National Churches Trust launches its manifesto calling for urgent action to rescue the UK’s church buildings. ‘Every Church Counts offers a blueprint for how churches can be saved for the future,’ explains National Churches Trust chief executive Claire Walker. ‘With hundreds facing closure across the UK, a national plan is urgently needed… We are calling on Government, heritage organisations and Christian denominations to work together.’
‘With so many providing important community services, churches are crucial to the wellbeing of millions of people’
Some 6,000 churches have shut their doors over the past decade. Of the 38,500 churches, chapels and meeting houses now open for worship in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, 20,000 are listed; in England alone, 900 of these church buildings are on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register. Currently, in Scotland, 30–40% of churches are set to close and, in Wales, a quarter have shut in the past decade (Books, page 98).
Measures proposed in the manifesto include, of course, procuring more funds, which could be aided by a Government-supported matched funding scheme. At the moment, the backlog of repairs for the Church of England’s churches is £1 billion, with the average maintenance cost at about £150 million a year. It’s estimated that additional annual public funding of £50 million is required.
‘More support is especially needed for churches in more deprived areas, such as inner cities and coastal towns. These churches often do a tremendous amount to support local people, but struggle to raise money to repair buildings, with many
