How we work

These buildings are real assets to the community at large and not buildings to be revered, preserved and consequently underused, because of their history - this is how we see our regeneration projects and this is the way we work

Assets not liabilities

• we see our buildings as places of real worth and meaning, which are valuable assets to their locality - even if time hasn’t been kind to where they now stand. The health of communities ebb and flow – and their buildings alongside them – but we see this as part of a history of continuity, and not an end position that is terminal or cannot be revisited.
• we look for opportunities rather than difficulties, and start with free thinking and imagination
• we start from the position that these buildings were intended to be the best building in their community and this is where the emphasis should return freed from burden or concern - which means cultivating a relevant and income-generating use to help sustain them.
• We work to develop viable business plans with our partners that can make these buildings self-sustaining, covering their repair and maintenance costs, and independent from the need for future subsidy.

Discussion and genuine participation

• we talk to people, as many as possible.
• we develop our projects from the very people who will use them - the community. We aim to be inclusive in our approach and investigate genuinely and openly the options which come forward for a building
• at the same time we also look to be imaginative and think outside of the ordinary as to how these buldings might be brought back into use - uses which might be surprising but which can succeed by being enterprising and entrepreneurial, and able to evolve with the building to give it a new chapter in its life.

Thoughtful and appropriate

• re-establishing active use round our buildings is more than just a Grand Design.
• we seek that the new uses we grow and introduce are bespoke designs and solutions, informed by views of all who take an interest - and any adaptation is pursued with sustainable community benefit in mind.
• these buildings were built for everyone in their parish, regardless of whether they believed or not – we believe these buildings should still be open to everybody and for everybody

Time to understand

• any new designs are developed with the building’s heritage at heart, to retain and repair their craftsmanship, showcase their ancient histories and pass this on in excellent condition to future generations
• our buildings remain consecrated and any new use allows for worship use to remain. We don’t turn our buildings into nightclubs - but we do want to open up their qualities to appreciation by new audiences.
• we nurture the links to the past and find uses that resonate with the characteristics of each site - researching its background and presenting it in new forms - so that collective memories, stories, hopes and fears that gave these places life in the past can be relevant to their future

Structured and deliverable

• we have a clear staged process to structure the thinking of ourselves and our partners, to make sure that the projects that we back are well-conceived, properly planned and appropriately resourced
• we have a core team of professionals from a range of backgrounds, who are able to bring together skills of architecture, planning, funding, heritage, economics, social policy, conservation, regeneration and repair – enabling collaborative navigation of the complex regulatory backgrounds surrounding re-use of heritage assets – with the end result being a project that delivers for all of its backers.

Committed and creative

• we spend time in the communities where these projects are being developed, working directly and closely with local people to share their ideas, learn their aspirations and give real long-term commitment to seeing a project through from beginning to end…
• …but we also like to have fun, and hope that by being creative in our approach it enables us to enjoy the journey with the people we work with – could you be one of those people?