As these challenging times are still with us, HRBA continues to operate and the e-newsletter, as you can see, is still coming out every month so please continue to send us any news or items of interest. We are receiving emails and will do our best to answer promptly.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
HRBA’s monthly series from ‘our Roving Reporter’
You can read a new story about the ‘One Bread Café’, a community café set up in All Saints’ Church, Hove, in December 2021 and who have major building plans in development.  https://www.hrballiance.org.uk/news/roving-reporter/
 
This is our series of short blogs where ‘our reporter’ describes a new idea or successful initiative being implemented in a historic religious building. So do tell us about anything you have recently implemented that is working well. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Booking NOW OPEN for HRBA’s Big Update on Wednesday 27 April 2022
The Big Update is taking place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at St Peter’s Church, Vauxhall https://www.stpetersvauxhall.org/ . (Good news: we have managed to keep prices at the 2019 level).
 
It will follow the usual format of presenters giving 20-minute talks on a wide range of topical and inspirational subjects. There will also be videos and interviews.  And if you would like to participate in the ‘Your Big Update’ session by telling us about a new project or initiative in 3 minutes, please contact Becky Payne on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
You can book here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/historic-religious-building-alliance-big-update-2022-tickets-258987377217

 

EVENTS

Wales: Faith in the Future FREE seminars 2022
Tuesday 8 March 1.30pm – 3.30pm: : innovative ways to raise funds and income
Tuesday 29 March 2022 1.30pm – 4pm: rising to the climate change challenge
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/wales-faith-in-the-future-free-seminars-2022-78709
 
Heritage Alliance: Heritage Day 2022, 9 and 10 March - Booking Now Open!
The Heritage Alliance’s annual conference, Heritage Day 2022, will take place over 9 and 10 March as a hybrid event, combining accessible virtual sessions on Wednesday morning followed by an in-person event on Thursday afternoon. The event will feature Heritage Minister, Nigel Huddleston MP and Chair of the National Lottery Heritage Fund Simon Thurley FSA and will conclude with an in-person networking afternoon reception at the historic Christ Church Spitalfields in London.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heritage-day-2022-tickets-250116935487
 
ICON: Stone & Wall Paintings Group: Conservation of the magnificent interiors at St Mary’s, Lydiard Tregoze, 7 April 2022.
To be held at Lydiard House Conference Centre, Lydiard Park, Swindon SN5 3PA
The project aims included conserving the buildings extensive & nationally significant medieval wall paintings, 17^th Century monuments, ancient carved woodwork and star-spangled ceiling. The grant enabled the church to carry out the conservation work, environmental improvements and access improvements to St Mary’s Church - https://www.stmaryslydiardtregoze.org.uk/heritage/
as well as the delivery of a specialist training programme & associated learning, volunteering and community engagement activities. This included hands on conservation workshops and skills training.  https://www.icon.org.uk/events/stone-wall-paintings-group-conservation-st-marys-lydiard-tregoze.htmlcant programme of works at the Church which have been supported by the National Lottery
 
Caring for God's Acre: Beautiful Burial Ground Conference, in Sheffield, Tuesday 15 March 2022
An inspiring day discovering how to transform burial grounds into havens for people, wildlife and heritage. Limited places, £15 to include lunch and refreshments.
https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/get-involved/beautiful-burial-ground-conference-2022/
 
Growing the Rural Church, Diocese of Exeter and the Plunkett Foundation: Setting up a community business in your church, online, 23 March 2022
Growing the Rural Church, Diocese of Exeter and the Plunkett Foundation have come together to  deliver a webinar on setting up community businesses in places of worship. The webinar is aimed at places of worship and communities within Devon and they it will inspire more groups to explore locating in active places of worship, and give them to access to funding from Allchurches Trust to enable them to progress their projects.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/setting-up-a-community-business-in-your-church-tickets-264079718547
 
National Lottery: Open Week, Nationwide, 19 - 27 March 2022
The National Lottery is calling for organisations that they support to register their interest in participating in National Lottery Open Week from Saturday 19 – Sunday 27 March 2022. During this week, National Lottery players are invited to visit heritage sites and use their lottery tickets to access a special offer registered by organisations and advertised through the National Lottery listings page. Last year’s Open Week attracted almost 25,000 national lottery players to 650 sites across the UK. https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/national-lottery-open-week
 
Cambridge Historic Churches Trust: Annual Conference, ‘Radiancy Divine – Light and Heat in Church’, Saturday, 2 April 2022,
The programme should be not only of general and antiquarian interest but include information helpful to churchwardens and others with practical responsibility for churches. More information and booking here:
https://camhct.uk/event/radiancy-divine-light-and-heat-in-church/#tribe-tickets
  
Getting Ready for the Great Big Green Week, Online, 21 April 2022
The Great Big Green Week is a nationwide celebration of action on climate change, taking place across the UK from the 24 September - 2 October 2022, which falls during the Church's Season of Creation, giving Christian groups the perfect opportunity to join in.
This event being held on Zoom on 21 April shows how your church and congregation can take part.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N5hF2o4DRB67qKfvswf9IQ?mc_cid=8c68971f67&mc_eid=798056a8a3
 
Chapels Society: Communities of Dissent 1850-1914: a conference in association with Harris Manchester College, Oxford, Saturday 30 April 2022
Between 1850 and 1914 Nonconformity reached a peak of presence and status in communities throughout England and Wales. The main part of the Conference will look at recent research recording this period of chapel and churches life. The final session of the conference will explore how best, in the twenty-first century, the legacy of chapel culture can be saved, recorded and made known. https://www.chapelssociety.org.uk/events/communities-of-dissent-1850-1914/

Virtual events calendar
The National Churches Trust are listing events on their website, so that you can support some of the lectures, talks, plays and concerts that are taking place in the UK's church buildings as well as attending conferences and training sessions. https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/events

NEWS

DCMS blog on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS) goes live
The DCMS blog on a case study from a church that benefitted from funding from the scheme is now live on the blog website.

It has since included an announcement from Minister Nigel Huddleston on the extension to the LPWGS, which will now be available until 31 March 2025. More social media is planned on a LPWGS case study in Milton Abbas, Dorset soon.
https://dcmsblog.uk/

'Levelling Up Our Communities: Proposals for a New Social Covenant’: Government response
The Government has published its response to the report by Danny Kruger MP on  ‘Levelling Up Our Communities: Proposals for a New Social Covenant’. Recommendation 10 proposes ‘a new deal with faith communities, by which government supports a greater role for faith groups in meeting social challenges, recognising the significant contribution of faith groups and the increase in scale and innovation of their work during the pandemic and beyond’. The Faith New Deal Pilot Fund is already offering funding through a competitive grant programme for faith groups working on community projects in collaboration with local agencies and philanthropy.

This fund will serve as a statement of intent to work constructively with faith groups and its delivery will inform a ‘Faith Compact’ to encourage national and local government to look for opportunities to partner with faith groups. The pilot will help determine how the future plans for the Faith New Deal will evolve.

Colin Bloom, the independent Faith Engagement Adviser, has been appointed to lead a review into how the government should engage with faith groups in England.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-danny-kruger-mps-report-levelling-up-our-communities-proposals-for-a-new-social-covenant

ChurchWorks commission on Covid-19 Recovery
The ChurchWorks Commission is a pan-church gathering of leaders representing churches in England, alongside government ministers and civil servants, where the aim is to use and support the resources of the church in enabling the recovery of the country from the Covid-19 pandemic.
At its heart it is based around a new and positive relationship between government, both national and local, and the church. https://yourneighbour.org/churchworks and https://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/stories/view?articleid=3482

Faculty Jurisdiction amendment rules
The proposals for amending the faculty rules to shift the regulatory burden for works that shift the church towards net-zero carbon were approved by General Synod on 9 February. The rules will now be laid before both houses of parliament, before enactment. The rules come into force on 1 July. The amendment rules can be viewed here 
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/GS%202245%20Faculty%20Jurisdiction%20%28Amendment%29%20Rules%20-%20final%20for%20Synod.pdf
and explanatory note are here
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/GS%202245X%20FJ%28A%29R%20Exp%20Notes%20-%20final%20for%20Synod%20v2.pdf
 
An additional amendment was approved which will include in List B a proposal to install on the exterior of a church building, or of a church hall or similar building, equipment for receiving (and, if desired, sharing) wireless broadband services. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/OP%20II%20-%20draft%20-%2014.1.22.pdf

OF INTEREST

Hadrian's Wall turns 1900
Explore the ancient churches of the Tyne Valley, many built with stones from emperor Hadrian's 73 mile-long wall, built in AD 122 to guard the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire. https://www.explorechurches.org/hadrians-wall
 
St Paul’s – Contextualising A Colonial Plaque
A dramatic tapestry made from over 5,000 rosary beads stitched onto lace, now stands 12ft tall in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral. It depicts Oba Ovonramwen, the king of Benin, who was exiled by the British in 1897. The installation stands beside a small, brass plaque commemorating Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, who commanded the campaign to Benin in 1897.
It is part of ‘50 Monuments in 50 Voices’ launched on 1 December 2021 to present a weekly series of audio, visual and musical works responding to the Cathedral’s monuments from 1796 to 1916
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/news-press/latest-news/st-pauls-installs-bold-new-artwork-by-artist-victor-ehikhamenor-as-part-of-50-monuments-in-50-voices
  
Future for Religious Heritage
This month’s feature article looks at the Synagogue of Híjar/Church of St. Anthony, Híjar, Spain.
The building presents iconography of both Jewish and Christian religions and origin. It is one of the 12 shortlisted sites in the '7 Most Endangered’ programme after it was nominated by FRH and HRBA member organisation Foundation for Jewish Heritage.
http://7mostendangered.eu/sites/synagogue-of-hijar-church-of-st-anthony-hijar-spain/
 
European Days of Jewish Culture & Heritage
B'nai B'rith UK [Alliance member] has shared that the European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage (EDJCH) will run from 1 September to 31 December this year.
They are accepting registration forms from people wanting to join BBUK EDJCH 2022 until Friday 18 March.
https://www.bnaibrithuk.org/european-days-of-culture-and-heritage-days/
 
Successful community project repairs ancient churchyard wall
An inspiring story of how SPAB helped a community repair their churchyard wall using SPAB expertise, volunteers and a small grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund https://www.spab.org.uk/news/story-tired-old-wall

RESOURCES AND COURSES

Reminder: COVID-19 Government Funding for Heritage
The National Heritage Memorial Fund - COVID-19 Response Fund is open to applications and will not end until April 2023. https://www.nhmf.org.uk/funding/covid-19-response-fund
 
Rebuilding Heritage: Your guide to operating with confidence in 2022...
This resource from the Heritage Alliance is offering an eight-part guide in January and February for the essentials of surviving and thriving in the current climate. Whether you are wondering how to fundraise, embrace organisational change, navigate new working practices, or deal with crisis with confidence, they have crucial advice, toolkits, and simple templates to help structure your thinking. You can also access all the resources on their website  https://rebuildingheritage.org.uk/resources/type/guides-toolkits/
 
The Church of England’s Spring Environment programme
This is part of a series of webinars and events designed to support and equip churches to reach the ambitious ‘net zero carbon ‘emissions target.

The spring Net Zero Carbon webinar programme is coming together. All the details can be found 
https://www.churchofengland.org/about/environment-and-climate-change/webinars-getting-net-zero-carbon#na
 
Subjects include environmental fundraising, eco church, embodied carbon, net zero schools, and an introduction to the Great Big Green Week. Of particular interest is likely to be the new topic, “What’s needed in practice to get to net zero carbon? And what’s stopping us? : The results of the Wayfinder project”. 
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HAR0b6xzQqCss_Or-LMPmQ

COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS

2022 Sussex Heritage Trust Awards – call for entries
The prestigious Sussex-wide heritage and architectural awards has called for new entries, as the Sussex Heritage Trust launched in its 24th Awards year.
Nine categories are available to enter from residential projects through public and community to ecclesiastical and landscape schemes. Entries are being accepted until 25 March 2022.
https://www.sussexheritagetrust.org.uk/
 
The SPAB’s Heritage Awards
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) is pleased to announce details of the 2022 John Betjeman Award as part of the newly-launched SPAB Heritage Awards. 
This year the competition includes faith buildings across the UK and Ireland. Awards will be made for conservation projects in three areas: 1) England & Wales (including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), 2) Scotland, 3) Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland).  It has also just been announced that Channel 4's Kevin McCloud will host the SPAB Heritage Awards.

The Award is made for the repair or conservation of a specific element of the fabric, fittings or furnishings of a historic faith building (such as a church, chapel, meeting house, synagogue, mosque, temple) which remains in use for worship.   It is not essential that the building is listed or otherwise designated as being of architectural or historic interest – its age or architectural significance is less important than the quality of the repair. To be eligible, a project must have been carried out in the previous 18 months.  
 
More information and entry forms can be downloaded from the SPAB website
https://www.spab.org.uk/about-us/awards/john-betjeman-award
The closing date for entries is 28 March 2022, 5pm. 

PUBLICATIONS

How Village Churches Thrive: a Practical Guide
Robert Atwell, Gill Ambrose, Helen Bent
The rural church is the unsung success story of the Church of England, but is often mistakenly perceived as dying by its urban cousins. This inspiring and practical handbook draws on the wisdom of a wide variety of practitioners in ten key areas that enable village churches to flourish.

All the contributors are active in supporting the growth of rural churches through their roles in the Church of England or through organizations such as the Arthur Rank Centre, the Churches Conservation Trust, Caring for God's Acre and the RSCM.
https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/books/9781781402191/how-village-churches-thrive
 
Late-Georgian Churches; Anglican architecture, patronage and churchgoing 1790-1940 by Dr Christopher Webster
John Hudson Publishing
 9781739822903 – hardback    £80
9781739822910 – PDF eBook £19.99
Publication June 2022. 360pp, 370 illustrations; https://johnhudsonpublishing.com/books/
 
This is the first comprehensive study of church-building in the late-Georgian period, when shortages of accommodation and concerns about the spread of Nonconformity and godlessness prompted intense activity, especially in expanding urban centres. The focus is their architecture and planning, set in the context of contemporary liturgy, the experience of churchgoing and congregations’ expectations of worship.  With many colour illustrations, mostly taken by the late Geoff Brandwood especially for the book, and a full gazetteer of churches built in these decades, it is an indispensable guide to Anglicanism in this under-studied period.

A limited number of copies signed by the author will be available to the HRBA community in advance at £60 including postage to a UK address (overseas carriage at cost). To register interest, please contact the publisher at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by post to John Hudson Publishing Ltd at 22, Stratford Grove, London SW15 1NU

VACANCIES

PAID

St Asaph Diocesan Churches Inspector
Full time, £36-40k pa
We are looking for a dynamic churches inspector to help shape the vision for future mission and sustainability of the churches across our diocese. You will be working in and with our portfolio of beautiful buildings, and with communities who are passionate about the heritage of our places of worship.
The role involves inspecting and assessing the condition of all church buildings on a quinquennial basis and providing advice for action, including support for implementation of recommendations.
The job is based in beautiful North and Mid Wales, and you will be part of a lively and committed team who will support and encourage you.
For more information, visit:
https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/jobs/
Closing date: Friday 4th March at noon
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 16th March
 
Heritage Advisor, Bats in Churches - CCT
The Bats in Churches Project is a ground-breaking partnership, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund [Alliance member], bringing together communities, bats and historic churches.
This partnership is looking for a dynamic professional to champion the built heritage and provide specialist advice. 
Salary and contract: £25,113 p/a (36 hours p/w; fixed term)
Location: Remote - Homebased
Closing Date: 10 March 2022
https://churchesconservationtrust.livevacancies.co.uk/#/job/details/29

The deadline for information to go in the next e-newsletter is Friday 25 March 2022 though earlier submissions are encouraged! Please email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
Lucy Jacob

HRBA Newsletter Editor
1 March 2022