The National Churches Trust has published a manifesto calling for urgent action to save the UK’s church buildings. ‘Every Church Counts’ sets out a six-point plan to support volunteers, make more use of church buildings for the community, achieve annual government funding of £50 million for maintenance and repairs, work with tourism organisations to make more of their heritage, keep them open for the community outside worship times, and collect the information and data on church buildings and their role.
In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel discusses the current situation where churches are forced to close. They explore the options for keeping them maintained, functioning and open as assets in their communities. Chaired by Rosie Dawson, our panel is:
- Sir Philip Rutnam, chair of the National Churches Trust
- Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust
- Bishop Vivienne Faull, one of two lead bishops for church and cathedral buildings
- Emily Gee, Director for Cathedral and Church Buildings for the Church of England
- Rev Scott Rennie, the Vice-Chair of the General Trustees Church of Scotland
- Alex Glanville, Head of Property Services Church in Wales
- Sophie Andreae, Vice-chair of the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference
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Full Briefing Video
Podcast Episode
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