New support and grants available for church buildings
We’re pleased to announce that as part of the Church Commissioner’s £11 million Building for Mission fund, administered by the Archbishops’ Council over the period 2023 to 2025, the diocese was recently awarded funding towards building repairs and specialist advice to parishes. Part of this funding has been used to employ a Church Buildings Support Officer, and Stephen Watson has recently been appointed to this post. Stephen has spent 22 years working in the construction industry, and will be working closely with our worshipping communities, encouraging and advising in relation to management, repair and use of church buildings. He will also be assisting some of our parishes to navigate larger repair and capital building projects to help enable the realisation of the refreshed diocesan vision.
A further part of this funding has been allocated towards grants of up to £5,000 for repairs to churches (£10,000 for churches within the 20% most deprived parishes nationally) at a rate of up to 90%. All Church of England consecrated churches and licensed places of worship are eligible, and the grants will focus on minor but urgent repair works and improvements which will aid mission and ministry. The closing date for the first round of applications will be 30th November 2024 at 12pm, with a second round to take place in Spring 2025.
For further details on these grants and the online application form, please click here. You can also contact Stephen via email with any queries: stephen.watson@southwell.anglican.org.