Church Buildings Bulletin May 2025

Caring for your church – news, advice and more. Sent to all Clergy, Readers, ALMs, LLMs, Churchwardens, Treasurers and Deanery Lay Chairs.

In this Issue:

1. Information

• Volunteer Week
• DAC Chair
• Introduction of Seamus McGibbon, Pastoral and Closed Churches Officer
• Churchyard Regulations
• The National Churches Survey
• Martyn’s Law
• Beware of scammers

2. Events and Resources

• Free training from the DAC Team: Opening and Using Your Church
• Churchyard Management workshop – Save the Date
• Hearing Disability – New DAC Advisory Leaflet 9a

3. Environment

• Please act now! Upload Energy Footprint Tool data for 2024
• Eco Champions wanted!
• Love your Burial Ground Week / Churches Count on Nature

4. Maintaining your building

• Recommended monthly tasks

5. Grants and Funding

• Money Matters Spring 2025
• Minor Repairs and Improvements Fund

6. Good news stories

• Christ Church, Radlett installs solar panels at Vision Hall
• Carbon Literacy Project at Royston
• Thanks from Waterford
• More good news from Waterford: Restoration of the reredos

7. Upcoming Events

• BHHCT – Bike & Hike

With thanks for all you do to maintain our wonderful churches as places where people can encounter God, parishes can reach out in mission and local communities can be transformed.

The DAC Team

Emma Critchley, DAC Secretary
Ann Wise, Historic Buildings Support Officer
Seamus McGibbon, Pastoral and Closed Churches Officer
Tom Abraham, Net Zero Carbon Officer
Mayra Shaw, Team Secretary – Church Buildings
Liz West, Church Buildings Maintenance Officer
Richard Jackson, Local Church Income Support Officer

1. Information

Volunteer Week 2-8 June 2025

There is still time to plan something to celebrate the role of volunteers at your church during the national week of celebrating volunteers. It could be something big that you want to do or something low key – extra donuts with the weekly cup of tea?

Do you need new volunteers from outside the immediate congregation? Think about advertising on the local community Facebook page, a poster in the community hall or a piece in the parish newsletter. Why not create a small display about volunteering within your church – maybe include photographs or ask volunteers to write about why they volunteer and what they get out of it? Charities are finding it harder to recruit volunteers than ever before so think about what someone could do at home at the weekend or on-line for the church. If you would like any help creating new volunteer roles Ann is happy to help.

Do let us know if you’ll be taking part – send us photographs of your volunteers in action!

DAC Chair

Talking of volunteers, we are currently advertising the volunteer role of DAC Chair. This is an important role in the Diocese, needing a blend of skills in chairing complex discussions, empathy with the parishes the DAC seeks to serve, and a sense of humour!

If you would like to find out more on your own behalf or with someone else in mind, please see:

Introduction of Seamus McGibbon, Pastoral and Closed Churches Officer

Seamus will be administrating vacancies, suspensions along with other pastoral work. In addition, he will be working on Closed Churches alongside the rest of the Pastoral and DAC team.

Churchyard Regulations

The new wording on the memorial application form is:
“In addition to the fees payable to the Court, it is the usual policy of the Court to order that the usual fees be paid for the monument as per the current Parochial Fees Order.”
And
“The Incumbent and PCC may waive the memorial fees in a particular case, but the Archbishops’ Council’s advice is that the power to waive fees should only be exercised in cases of clear financial hardship.”
The wording on the new interment form includes reference to the burial fees as well, so that these fees are then the same regardless of whether there is an existing Garden of Remembrance or not within a closed churchyard.

The National Churches Survey – giving every church a voice

This spring the National Churches Trust has launched a major survey on churches. Please participate! The NCT is known for its pioneering research that has helped show the Government and the wider public why churches matter. It has been used by MPs and policymakers; most recently in debates around The Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme, to highlight why these buildings need to be properly funded.

The National Churches Survey will help politicians, the media, and the wider public better understand the challenges churches face and to highlight the vital work they do; including everyone involved with churches in our diocese! Your response will provide essential evidence to build a clearer picture across the country and to tell a stronger, more informed story about your church, and others like it, so that together we can all address some of the biggest challenges facing churches and help ensure their future.

Please spread the word about this survey and encouraging others involved with your church to fill it in, by helping NCT with this groundbreaking survey they will be able to gather the evidence they need to show politicians and the media about all the amazing things that churches are doing as well as the struggles that are faced daily to keep churches open and safe. The survey opened on Tuesday 6 May and will close on Monday 30 June:

Martyn’s Law

As you may know, the Government is bringing in new legislation concerning the protection of public premises against terrorism (Martyn’s Law). There is an implementation period of two years. We have attended a recent briefing on the implications for churches and we will provide guidance as soon as it is available. In the meantime, the Government has emphasised that no one should be making money out of this, so please do not take up any offer to provide advice or security services for a charge.

Beware of scammers!

One of our parishes has reported a scam where scammers impersonated an energy company (British Gas) promising to save money for the parish by changing supplier. They had detailed information and so sounded persuasive. Do look out specifically for this, but more generally be sceptical of any unsolicited calls that are made no matter how informed the person sounds. Always ensure that you do the following:

• Never give any account details, business or bank over the phone.
• Ring back the company that they are impersonating using a number that you find on a website that you have looked up rather than a number they give you.
• Leave 5/10 minutes before ringing back as they can hold the line for a short period of time.
• You can then check with the company if it is genuine and report it if not.
• You can also use a website called Who Called Me (details at Who called me? | United Kingdom’s Free Reverse Phone Lookup) as a further check and leave comments to warn others.
• If you are concerned you may have given bank details away, then contact your bank immediately and follow their instructions.
• You can also report to Action Fraud (details at Action Fraud).

Remain alert as scammers are always attempting new ways to defraud people.

2. Events and Resources

Opening and Using Your Church: half day workshop

16 June 9.45am – 12.30pm

Bookings are now being taken for this brand new free workshop. Ann will be giving her top tips for opening your church to visitors, Tom will give you ideas for heating your church so that visitors can feel both welcome and warm and Richard will inspire you with the variety of ways a church can generate income including being used as a film and TV location. We’ll also be joined by Joseph Davies from Ecclesiastical Insurance on why it’s a good idea to open your church.

Churchyard Management workshop Save the Date

24 June – morning

We are planning a churchyard management workshop for parish clergy and others involved in managing churchyards. The session will include a demonstration about memorials by an experienced monumental mason as well as covering legal, pastoral and practical aspects. The provisional date is 24 June, but we will send a separate invitation as soon as the date is confirmed.

Hearing Disability – New DAC Advisory Leaflet 9a

Is your Church accessible to your worshippers with Hearing Disability?

Not hearing what is going on can leave worshippers feeling very left-out. Happily many churches do invest in a sound system and make sure that it is operated and maintained properly. That can make a world of difference to the majority of your congregation. But it may not be enough for those with moderate to severe hearing disability. Many good sound systems today include a “loop”- indeed, UK equality legislation requires their installation where reasonably possible. Using aids that are loop-enabled can make a wonderful difference. There is now a new system coming called Auracast. To find out more and to check you are supporting worshippers with a hearing disability, please take a look at our new advice leaflet.

Also check more information on our website regarding Access for people with disabilities – The Diocese of St Albans.

3. Environment

Please act now! Upload Energy Footprint Tool data for 2024

We are now using the national Parish Returns portal to collect Energy Footprint Tool data. This is open until 30 June 2025 to upload 2024 energy use data. You will need the same information if you are planning any new church heating or other works with an impact on the carbon footprint of the church. Please note that completion of the EFT is a pre-requisite for any diocesan or national church grant funds for work towards Net Zero Carbon, including heating systems!

Eco Champions wanted!

Rachel Johnston, Diocesan Environment Officer, writes:
I am delighted to be able to let you know that the new voluntary post of Deanery Eco Champion has now been announced on the diocesan website. This is a new voluntary role that anyone who is part of an Eco church can apply to fulfil. The Deanery Eco Champion will be a named person (we are suggesting up to three per deanery) who will act as a point of contact for parishes within the deanery, helping with the provision of resources and training, and facilitating communication between churches and other groups in the local community.

Please get in touch for further information and an application form.

Love your Burial Ground Week / Churches Count on Nature

During Love your Burial Ground Week (8-16 June 2024) churches from all denominations took part in a week-long ‘nature count’ to monitor and celebrate the biodiversity in churchyards. Love your Burial Ground Week is a celebratory week which has been running for many years. Caring for God’s Acre has been encouraging all who help to look after churchyards, chapel yards and cemeteries to celebrate these fantastic places in the lovely month of June (this year will be from 7th – 15th) in any way you choose. Registration is now open.

This is such a simple way to help build a national picture of biodiversity in churchyards across the country whilst engaging with your local community. Please do share any photos of your own churchyards with us.

3. Maintaining your Building

Monthly tasks Spring

5. Grants and Funding

The funding newsletter that we trailed last year has been refreshed and now covers a variety of financial subjects – not just about grants. Now titled Money Matters the Spring issue looks specifically at Giving, highlighting some good news stories featured in three new short films, hosted by our colleague Giving Adviser, Kate Ford.

Minor Repairs & Improvements Grant – majority of fund has been awarded

The Minor Repairs & Improvements Grant has been a huge success in the Diocese, helping churches make critical ‘stitch in time’ repairs and urgent improvements. We have now awarded approximately 90% of the grant fund and are no longer accepting applications. We are implementing the priority criteria set out in the Application Guidelines, to ensure that the remaining monies are awarded to those churches deemed most in need. Please contact Liz West to discuss any possible application.

Thinking of applying for a National Heritage Lottery Grant?

Some top tips!

1. Read the guidance on the National Heritage Lottery website.
2. Get one or two people together and start working on your vision of what you hope to achieve – then tell people and get their feedback!
3. Watch one of the webinars on the National Heritage Lottery website – for a grant between £10K – £250K: Explainer: National Lottery Heritage Grants £10,000 to £250,000.
4. Book to attend a live webinar being held in our region (Midlands and the East)  TicketSource – Discover Great Events & Things To Do Near You in June and July.
5. Talk to Ann about your project – she can be your supporter as well as your critical friend!

6. Good News Stories

Christ Church, Radlett installs solar panels at Vision Hall

Christ Church Radlett has taken a major step towards sustainability with the installation of new solar panels on the Vision Hall – a significant milestone in the church’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

For more information, visit the news in our website, link below:

Carbon Literacy Project at Royston

Royston parish church ran a Carbon Literacy for Congregations course this year as a lent course. Find out more about it on our blog page.

Look out for dates of further Carbon Literacy courses for parish clergy and volunteers in the next Church Buildings bulletin.

Thanks from Waterford!

Malcolm the churchwarden wrote a lovely note to the DAC team which we hope might be encouraging to others. He explained:

On Friday 14 March our organ tuner, Andrew Stevens, visited to tune our organ. Andrew found that the wooden stay, which supported the Oboe section, had given way. The Oboe pipes had collapsed, resulting in damage to them and, more importantly, some of the pipes were leaning against others, there was a very real danger that the weight of the Oboe pipes would damage the pipes against which they were leaning if steps were not taken to address the collapse.

On Sunday 16 March the PCC held an extraordinary meeting to commission Andrew to repair the organ subject to his schedule of work being acceptable to the DAC and his estimate being reasonable. By Tuesday 25 March the detailed schedule of work had been reviewed by the DAC’s organ adviser, the DAC team had advised that the like for like repair came under Minor Matters List B and the Archdeacon’s office had issued the List B letter of authority. The following day Andrew attended to remove the damaged pipes and found that further damage had been avoided.

This was a wonderful example of teamwork and how the system supports our efforts. Many thanks are due to all concerned for their commitment.

More good news from Waterford!

Look out for a DAC blog post coming soon. Jenny Dart describes the restoration of the unique reredos at Waterford.

7. Upcoming Events

Bike & Hike – Saturday 13 September

Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust annual Bike & Hike is being held on Saturday 13 September. It’s a chance to help raise money for the trust which in turn is able to award grants to churches within the Diocese; visit other churches that you’ve been wanting to see and if you are lucky the churches you stop at may also be taking part in the National Heritage Open Days on that Saturday and may have extra activities arranged or have cakes and drinks on sale! For more information about Bike & Hike: