The most comprehensive survey of Britain’s churches ever carried out has shown a “critical” number in desperate need of financial help.
Nearly 4,000 of the nation’s 47,000 churches — 8 per cent — are in poor or very poor condition, needing an average of £80,000 spending each for repairs and restoration.
The survey, to be published on Monday, has found that 1.6 million people take part in voluntary activities involving the Church, averaging out at 33 per church. The biggest area was community activities, followed by faith activities and then administration.
The churches make up the bedrock on which the Government can hope to build its dream of a Big Society, the survey shows. The 47,000 churches, with their army of volunteers, compare with only 12,000 post offices and 10,000 English village halls.
The National Churches Trust has found that church buildings play a key role in community activity, with eight out of ten used for other things besides worship. Those getting the best grant support, however, are usually the listed churches, which tend to be in remote rural areas and have fewer facilities. It is often the unlisted churches, which make up 60 per cent of the total, that are more modern and in urban areas allowing them to adapt more easily as cafés and community centres.
More than half the churches in the survey, which covered more than 9,000 of the 47,000 churches, benefited from the Government’s listed places of worship grant scheme, introduced in 2001, which allows VAT to be reclaimed on some repairs. Nearly £15 million was reclaimed under the scheme in the past year.
But the survey notes that listed buildings are “generally less well equipped.” Nearly a third of the 47,000 churches have no lavatories.
Buildings without adequate heating, toilet or kitchen facilities are less likely to contribute to community activites, even though, when they are listed, they stand to benefit more from grant aid.
Money for repairs comes from members of the parish, “friends” groups and events such as the annual “Ride and Stride” sponsored walks and cycle rides organised by country churches trusts with the support of the National Churches Trust.
The oldest church in the survey was the Chapel of St Peter on the Wall in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, a Grade One listed church believed by some to be the oldest in England. The newest was St Andrew’s Crawley, with services and activitie throughout the week, and still under construction when the survey was being done.
Dame Stella Rimington, former Director-General of MI5, a signatory to the report’s foreword, said: “Without church buildings, our country would be a poorer place socially, culturally and architecturally. The National Churches Trust has shown why our churches need to be kept in a good state for future generations. The challenges facing those who care for our church buildings, many of them volunteers, have not been well understood until now. This report brings some much needed clarity to complex issues.”
“It also shows how the sharing of success stories can help, inspiring and encouraging new approaches. These findings highlight the invaluable contribution that church buildings make to society, to the heritage of our nation and to the vibrancy of its community life. Most important of all, they reveal the potential of church buildings still to be realised.”
Andrew Edwards, the chief executive of the trust, said: “Six out of ten places of worship are not listed yet it is clear that these are the buildings where most community work is going on.
He said this raised important questions about the place of listed and unlisted churches and how they can contribute to society. Open, accessible church buildings provide communities with a significant resource. Voluntary action that takes place locally often needs a physical space in which to happen, and it is clear that church buildings help fill that need.However, the survey also reveals these buildings’ repair and maintenance needs, which can pose great challenges.”
Diana Evans, Head of Places of Worship at English Heritage, said: “In offering congregations the chance to self-assess the condition of buildings, the number of volunteers involved in caring for them and the number of other organisations already using them for a variety of non-worship uses, the survey will provide useful insights.
“The fact that 9,000 people took the trouble to complete a substantial on-line questionnaire demonstrates the commitment and enthusiasm of those involved with places of worship and we’ll be interested in their responses and concerns.”
The report will be published on the Trust’s website tomorrow – Monday. www.nationalchurchestrust.org