Government guarantees future support for The Churches Conservation Trust

The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) will see Government funding for The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) frozen at current levels in cash terms for the next four years, it has been announced.

In an endorsement of our internationally-recognised work conserving historic churches and bringing them back into community use, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport has chosen to maintain the grant, which is used to protect and open to the public our unique collection of 347 listed churches across England, representing some of the finest art and architecture of more than 1,000 years of history.

However, Government grant reductions over the past 14 years mean that the CCT relies now more than ever on public support to conserve its unique historic collection for future generations. A growing repair backlog of £36 million over the next 10 years needs to be addressed.

Chief Executive Crispin Truman is appealing to the public to act now to save historic churches by joining the CCT as a member for £42 a year. Becoming a member of the CCT will help ensure these important buildings are maintained for the future and kept open for everyone to enjoy.

Crispin Truman, Chief Executive of The Churches Conservation Trust, said:

“At The Churches Conservation Trust we are very proud of our work protecting some of this nation’s most important heritage buildings, often in very rural locations and in communities which urgently need our support to save their local church.

“The Government’s decision to maintain our core funding is an endorsement of the hard work we do every day in communities around the country, and is very welcome. Public funds provide vital support for our work with volunteers and help meet some of our most challenging repair needs.

“However, if we are to protect growing numbers of historic churches in the future we really need everyone who really cares about them to join The Churches Conservation Trust today. Joining us is the best possible way to support our work saving churches.”

The Government also announced that the CCT will be given new operational and financial freedoms to help it move towards greater financial self-reliance and sustainability as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Join The Churches Conservation Trust

Find out more about the Comprehensive Spending Review

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