Rescue and repair in Sunderland

Our current major fundraising campaign is raising urgent funds for Holy Trinity in Sunderland, a Grade I listed building in the East End of the city.  Our ambitious plans for the church will secure a long-term creative and community use for the building, but, crucially, will also deliver urgent and vital repairs.

The rainwater goods and drainage throughout the building are defective and insufficient – and in some areas, they are non-existent. Addressing this is critical to arresting the decay of the building.

The capital work of this project is conservation-led, however there is a need to sensitively adapt the building so that it can function efficiently and support the needs of a 21^st century community. Through the project we will introduce facilities and services (heating, catering, toilets) that give this building a sustainable future.

Thanks to AllChurches Trust, we have secured a grant for a craft skills training programme. This will give people in an area of economic disadvantage life changing and transformative skills.

Owing to slum clearances there are but a few historic buildings left in the East End of Sunderland. It is has recently been awarded Historic England’s Heritage Action Zone status, meaning that, if this building can be saved, it will become the principal heritage asset of Old Sunderland, supporting the city's ambitions to become a cultural city and tourist destination. Particularly with regard to Sunderland’s bid for City of Culture 2021.

A lot of work has been done to develop strong relationships with the local community, community groups, businesses and other arts/heritage organisations. Without this project going ahead, these partnerships will not flourish, and the significance of the church within the community will dwindle further.

Holy Trinity will be 300 years old in 2019. We want to celebrate this significant anniversary on site, repairing the building. We want to connect Holy Trinity's past, present and future. We want to work with its community to write the next chapter in its story.

Holy Trinity church, Sunderland is collapsing. It is a Grade I listed building. It is one of just two Grade I early Georgian churches surviving in the northeast of England. It has been on the Heritage at Risk register for several years and has been nominated as one of the ‘7 Most Endangered’ buildings in Europe. Click here to visit the appeal page.