The Church of England has awarded £9 million to dioceses for repairs and specialist advice to parishes, with the Diocese of Chester to receive £123,750.
The £9 million will be split in the following way:
- A total of £2.8 million has been allocated for 30 Church Buildings Support Officers across the country to give specialist advice on the management, conservation, repair and development of church buildings, including community use alongside worship.
- A further £6.2 million has been allocated across 41 dioceses for making grants of up to £12,000 for repairs to churches. The grants will focus on small-scale but urgent works and ‘stitch in time’ projects that could save larger sums in the long term. The fund will also be able to help cover the cost of essential improvements for the mission and ministry of a church.
The grants come from the £11 million Buildings for Mission, funded by the Church Commissioners and administered by the Archbishops’ Council over the period 2023 to 2025.
Buildings for Mission Advisor for the Diocese of Chester, Sheena Wilson (pictured right) says, "We are really pleased to have been allocated this funding to help some of our churches with minor repairs and maintenance. We will shortly be sharing the criteria and process on how to apply for the funds."
The full story can be found on the Church of England Website
Minor Works and Repairs Grant
Applications for the Minor Works and Repairs Grant are now open. Please email the Buildings for Mission Officer, Sheena Wilson for an application form. There will not be enough funding for all that apply but please fill out an application for any relevant works so that we can show as a Diocese that we could spend considerably more than the £123,750 that we have been allocated.