In this difficult year for churches, GHCT is delighted to help another 11 projects in the Diocese of Gloucester and pledged to keep total annual donations at £150,000 through in 2021 despite reduced investment returns. The charity, which is entering its 40th birthday year in 2021, helps historic churches in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire and North Bristol. The grants help the buildings stay alive as active centres of community life and landmarks of the wonderful architectural heritage of the area.
Grants Secretary, Jonathan MacKechnie-Jarvis, said: “I am happy to bring good cheer to the churches who were successful in our second grant round this year. It has been exciting to see the range of projects submitted from churches of all denominations. This shows the resilience of the ordinary people who look after these buildings despite all the challenges of 2020.”
GHCT is an independent non-profit organisation raising funds and providing grants to help over 620 historic churches, chapels and meeting houses in the area. The Trust aims to assist those responsible for the care of places used for public worship which belong to a Christian religious body. It does this by making funds available to help places of Christian worship of all denominations with repairs and improvements to the fabric of the buildings and their contents, as well as their surrounding churchyards.
Colin Senior, Chair of GHCT added “I am incredibly pleased our trustees have voted to maintain grants at current levels this year and next. This gives a positive message to the many volunteers who look after churches that we are there to support them to look after their buildings, whatever life brings.”
The churches that received grants are as follows
| Town/village | Church | Project | Grant £ |
| Rendcomb | St Peter | Partial reroofing in Terne coated steel | 4000 |
| Evenlode | St Edward | Repairs to tower stonework | 2500 |
| Cheltenham | Highbury Congregnl | Reroof community hall (part of church) | 8500 |
| Abenhall | St Michael | Stonework repairs (top up) | 1500 |
| Redbrook | St Saviour | Urgent repairs to nave E gable wall | 3000 |
| Cheltenham | Christ Church | Repairs to roof | 500 |
| Dursley | St James | Conservation repairs to memorials | 4500 |
| Bishops Cleeve | St Michael & All Angels | Replace auto-winder of clock | 1000 |
| Bussage | St Michael & All Angels | Install servery and WC | 4000 |
| Cirencester | St Mary | Install two new statues in tower niches | 2000 |
| Uley | St Giles | Reordering to provide level access | 10000 |
| Total | 41,500 |
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It so important to us to have this grant from GHCT. Jonathan was very encouraging and helpful in his response to my initial email and gave some leads for other funding. Much needed in a hard year when funding sources like the Heritage Lottery have been closed to mainstream applications and we were hit with an unexpected extra bit of maintenance. It has been a long process of building community use of the building and engagement in its maintenance but we now have a strong vision which I believe will make it relevant to our mission as a church and sustainable long term. We are looking forward to being hosts to Art Angels when Covid is over. See next article!!