Giving your time to your local historic church

We simply would not be able to care for our historic churches without the support, commitment and dedication of communities, supporters and volunteers.

There are many ways that you can get involved.

 

What does supporting CCT look like?

We welcome many different approaches to using and loving your historic church, over 2000 people are already valued supporters and partners to CCT. We welcome support at all levels of CCT – locally, regionally, nationally and virtually – if you don’t see something below that seems relevant please get in touch with [email protected] and we can chat about what you’d like to do.

 

Volunteering

We have lots of opportunities to sign up to a role profile that clearly sets out what you will be doing. These opportunities ideally suit people who want to give a regular commitment in both time and tasks. Some of the things that may be included:

  • Understanding the history and special features of your church
  • Holding a key for the church and admitting contractors, visitors and staff
  • Checking that the church is in good condition and is safe for visitors
  • Helping keep the church clean, tidy and welcoming
  • Welcoming visitors
  • Helping us count our visitor numbers, taking meter readings and emptying the donations box
  • Helping at events
  • Doing guided tours
  • Learning about conservation techniques
  • Supporting learning events and activities with schools and families
  • And many more….!

You’ll work alongside other volunteers, community members and staff. There will be opportunities to meet people like yourself from other churches in the area and to exchange ideas.

We will ensure you are protected by our insurance and our safeguarding policy. We’ll keep in touch through bulletins and newsletters as well as face-to-face contact so that you feel part of CCT.

 

Becoming a community supporter

We appreciate that not everyone wants or can give their time regularly or to sign up to a formal arrangement BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t still make a valuable contribution to your church and keep it thriving for the local community. Ways that you can help:

  • Fund-raising
  • Joining a friends group
  • Helping at and running events

We’d like to capture some basic contact details for you so that we can keep you up-to-date and informed plus very importantly it means we can ensure you are covered by our insurance.

 

Events

We hold local get-togethers for community supporters and volunteers where you’ll have the chance to talk to like-minded people and talk to CCT staff.

We also hold an annual, national conference which features our supporter awards. At present this is virtual and this year's meeting took place on 5th June 2024.

 

Supporter Awards

We recognise our community supporters and volunteers through our annual Supporters of the Year Awards, sponsored by the Marsh Charitable Trust.

The Awards are open to everyone who supports our work, and without whom it would be impossible to keep our churches open.

 

Hear from our supporters and volunteers

We like to think that supporting us is a rewarding and fulfilling experience and that we provide support in return.

We conduct an annual survey and love hearing from you. We try to take on board and implement suggestions to improve our support to you.

You can also contact us at any time through your local CCT contact or on [email protected]