News & Opinion

Hidden Stories coach tour on Monday 10th October 2022

Travelling through the glorious autumnal countryside the tour will visit churches that are the focus of a living testimony to the past and future history of the community. Each church visited has intriguing hidden stories to tell of heritage, culture, people and belief.

Cost £20 per person to include an experienced guide, light refreshments and toilet facilities en route.

Leaving Shrewsbury Abbey at 1pm and returning to Shrewsbury Abbey by 6pm.

The National Churches Trust is really proud to honour churches and the people who care for them through a range of award schemes.

This year, for the first time, we are bringing together all our awards schemes into one nominations process and one event. We have also added new awards to recognise the hard work being done to welcome visitors, and an overall Church of the Year.

It is with deep regret that we have to cancel the Discover Churches Hidden Stories, Open Doors Conference on 10th & 11th October 2022. 

We are very aware that the news will be a blow to all (as it is to us). The challenging, volatile and ever changing times, affecting the economic and social confidence of everyone has impacted on the support of our target audience for the conference. 

Refunds and further information will be sent to delegates who have purchased tickets. 

I always like to be the bearer of good news . This month I can tell you that Opening the Ark, a project for churchyards within the AONB or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is coming to a church near you this summer. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Green Recovery Challenge Fund it’s focussing on 26 specific churchyards and surrounding communities.

The Discover Churches project is proud to be working with the Welcome to Excellence initiative to provide a number of accredited 'customer focussed' training courses over the next couple of months tailored towards churches and visitors to church buildings.

Welcome to Excellence is the most successful customer service training initiative in the UK with over 400,000 people having participated since the first training course in 1993. 

Epic Victorian journey will be church fundraiser

By Toby NealNews

Published: Sept 6, 2021

Shropshire's organiser of the Ride and Stride event raising money for the county's historic churches is to follow in the footsteps of a near-fatal journey from Victorian days as his effort towards the cause.

  Stottesdon Church Development Project

Brief:  Activity Plan Consultant

1. Introduction

We hope you are all keeping well and have been making the most of every opportunity to be able to get out and about again.

Firstly, we would like to say a massive thank you for all of your fantastic support throughout the various lockdowns and COVID restrictions. This project would not have been able to progress as well as it has without the flexibility and willingness to embrace new technology from everyone involved - THANK YOU.

What have we been doing in lockdown?

Here is an invitation for you. Next bit of sunshine pack up your picnic and walk along to your local church. Yes, the building may still be closed but just look around you. Despite COVID , a cheerful bunch of enthusiasts have been making sure that our churchyards are being well looked after.

To walk a pilgrimage is a uniquely personal undertaking whether done solo or as part of a community of pilgrims.

For some, a pilgrimage is a way of letting go of digital fatigue in order to re-wild the soul or reconnect with the earth. For others, it is a way to find or re-awaken the true self and for a few it is a way to encounter the Divine.

The National Churches Trust is proud to be a project partner with Discover Churches Herefordshire & Shropshire.

Our aim is to become the national entry point for everyone wanting to visit a historic church, chapel or meeting house. We work with national and regional tourism bodies, and with international tour operators to encourage and enable groups and individuals to explore and discover our amazing churches, chapels and meeting houses.

St Mary Magdalene in Turnastone is part of the Herefordshire Churches Tourism Group’s Virtuous Circles project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to design and develop overnight visitor accommodation within a church building, whilst retaining and sustaining the space for regular worship.

Churches, chapels and churchyards have dominated the landscape for more than a thousand years; all serve as living monuments to our history and heritage. Some act as community centres with modern facilities, others have developed their churchyards for wildlife.  All serve as living monuments to our heritage and history or solace for the present.