The National Church Awards – the “BAFTAs for churches” – has begun its search for the best churches in the UK, with nominations now open to find 15 winners across five categories, with several awards reserved for churches in the four home nations.
The awards recognise achievements in conservation, tourism and volunteer work. Nominations are welcomed from churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK, which are currently open for worship, with all denominations invited to take part.
And for the many church groups in the UK that don’t have a dedicated space for worship, nominations can still be made through the Volunteer and Lifetime Achievements categories.
Nominations are made through the website of the award’s organisers, the National Churches Trust, with a closing date of Saturday 31 August, 2024 (Deadline extended to Thursday 5 Spetember 2024).
An expert panel of judges will review all entries, selecting around 45 finalists and 15 winners. Awards will be presented at a prestigious ceremony held in the chapter house of Lincoln Cathedral on 22 October, an event which will also be live-streamed.
At the end of the ceremony the 2024 Church of the Year will be revealed: one church among the winners that the judges feel fulfils its potential and makes a mark on its community and beyond. In selecting this overall winner, judges are also looking for a sustainable church, one that is relevant, looked after, in good repair, in use and open for all. The 2023 Church of the Year was St Marylebone, in London. In 2022 this award went to St Macartan (The Forth Chapel), Augher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Winning churches will take home a range of rewards and mementoes including prize money from £500 to £750, a display plaque and, for group winners, the award itself, hand-crafted in Morley Grey Yorkstone. All finalists will receive a certificate.
In November, a National Church Awards Visitors’ Day will open the doors, quite literally, to the public, with people invited to visit churches close to home that have been awarded finalist status. This will include finalists from all previous years to give a wide geographic spread across the UK of over 100 outstanding churches, chapels and meeting houses open to visitors.
To find out more about the awards, including how to nominate, visit https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/impact/awards
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, explained that the judges are keen to hear from a wide range of people involved in church work:
“We invite anyone connected to a place of worship to look over the categories and consider entering their building or their volunteers. Last year we saw over 200 nominations and we would love to get close to 300 this year.
“The nominations included a range of buildings, from tiny rural chapels through to large city churches. There were eco-churches and community cafés, churches running tower tours, churches providing spaces for NHS clinics, and others hosting festivals and concerts.
“We see this as more of a celebration than a ‘competition’. This is about recognising the people who help churches thrive, who quietly go about making wonderful things happen, week in, week out. It’s about churches sharing what approaches work for them, so others can borrow ideas and find new ways to support their communities. So if you’re doing something that’s working well, let us know by nominating your place! Nominating is a straightforward process and there are guidelines to help you describe what’s going on at your church and include everything the judges want to see.”
Comments from people who took part in 2023
Development Manager at the 2023 Church of the Year, St Marylebone Church, London
“We have finally calmed down a little and I wanted to email to say thank you for the fantastic day yesterday. We are delighted to have received The Church of the Year award. We have had many emails and messages congratulating us and it is only just now sinking in. Thank you to you and your team for organising such a brilliant event. I look forward to working with you and your team over the next few months.”
Ian Earnshaw, Bishopton Parish Church, Renfrewshire, Scotland
“It is good to be reminded that we are not alone in our efforts but are part of a nationwide group of church volunteers striving to be relevant within our communities, and to show that we not only care for our buildings but work to make best use of them for the wider benefit of the community as a whole.”
Phil Ingram & Cyril Phillips, Volunteers, Llangunnor Parish Church
“We would like to thank you and your colleagues for making our day special yesterday. We were met with a wonderful welcome and kindness not to mention generosity. It really made our day. As to the Awards we are still somewhat stunned that our application should top the groups’ submissions. We were honoured to be invited but to win such an accolade was really special. Would you please pass on our grateful thanks to all your colleagues, they were all so pleasant and made us very welcome.”
Cyfeillion Eglwys Llannefydd / Friends of Llannefydd Church, St Nefydd & St Mary, Llannefydd
“We are really thrilled to have been shortlisted – it’s a wonderful boost to our small team of volunteers! It feels like a win in itself. We are beginning to get a nice steady stream of pilgrims now to the church, (it must be the season for it) and we’d like them to see this.”
In tribute to Lord Patrick Cormack
This year the awards have been inspired by the work and legacy of Lord Patrick Cormack, following his death in February. Recognised as a champion of church buildings, Lord Cormack dedicated his life to helping to keep the UK’s churches open and in use – working with many different organisations to make this happen.
A new category of award, for Lifetime Achievement, has been introduced this year in Lord Cormack’s honour, to recognise an individual (or group) which has dedicated time, care and love for more than 25 years towards a particular place of worship.
Award Categories
These three categories will each see four winners, selected from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, giving 12 awards overall
Care & Conservation. Each winner will receive £500
These awards bring a human story to conservation and maintenance, which traditionally tend to be less visible when celebrating and rewarding what churches do, despite a huge reliance on volunteers.
Church & Community Volunteers Awards. Each winner will receive £750
In partnership with Marsh Charitable Trust
From food banks to credit unions, churches across the UK provide a growing list of essential services for people in urgent need. The volunteer awards centre around the contribution that volunteers make to both caring for and making best use of churches, and especially using churches to reach out to local communities and using the building as a hub for activity.
Open for Visitors Awards. Each winner will receive £500
Most churches were built to be at the heart of their communities, to be busy and used by all. This award looks at how churches, chapels and meeting houses provide a wonderful welcome to visitors and share their building with others.
Also included in the National Church Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
The heritage and community engagement found in churches is built upon and sustained by the ongoing efforts of a vast army of supporters and volunteers. This special award celebrates the achievement of an individual or group which has dedicated time, care and love for more than 25 years towards this cause.
The Friends Award
This special award gives Friends (members) of the National Churches Trust the opportunity to help the charity select a church they have recently funded to receive an additional grant of £10,000. Churches in this award make a short film and Friends vote for their favourite. Anyone wishing to vote in this award can do so by becoming a Friend of the National Churches Trust (by mid August).
The awards were instigated in 2022 by the National Churches Trust in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust, Marsh Charitable Trust and the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association.
At last year’s ceremony co-presenter Canon Ann Easter, former Chaplain to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, added to this with her opening remarks:
“It’s an enormous privilege to be talking about some of the wonderful churches that bless communities across the UK. They are also just a place to be. To take time, sit quietly, say a prayer, and re-set for what’s next in your life. Churches seem to offer it all. So the National Churches Trust has decided it is high time that volunteers and churches were rewarded.”
About Lord Patrick Cormack
He was a Trustee of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust from 1972-2004, our youngest ever Trustee. He remained a Vice President of the National Churches Trust until his death in 2024. He was also an active member of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings, Lincolnshire Churches Trust, the Council for British Archaeology, the Historic Buildings Council, Heritage in Danger, and a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.
He was a member of the Church of England, Rector’s Warden and ‘Parliamentary Warden’ of St Margaret Westminster, and churchwarden at St Mary Enville, and from 2018 until his death he was Deputy High Steward of Lincoln Cathedral.
Lord Cormack was one of Britain’s longest-serving parliamentarians, with a combined total of fifty-four years in the Palace of Westminster. Through his time in the Houses of Commons and Lords he campaigned and spoke out for churches.
About the National Churches Trust: National Churches Trust works in partnership with churches across the UK to keep them open and in use. Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to critical community services, a warm welcome, a place to worship, or a space to explore, we believe churches should be loved and supported, and available to all. Working together with churches across all four nations, we help to maintain these wonderful historic buildings and keep them thriving today, and tomorrow.
About the awards: The National Church Awards brings together churches across the UK to celebrate church buildings and the amazing ways that churches enrich their local communities. The National Church Awards is organised by the National Churches Trust in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust, Marsh Charitable Trust and the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association.
