Thank you to Brian Whittaker, and all our best wishes for the future

The setting up of CCT’s Regeneration Taskforce co-incided with a move by the LankellyChase Foundation in 2009 to redirect its historic grant funding of listed churches, towards a new way of working and a new strand of funding under their “Local People, Local Places” programme. Linking the Taskforce’s work to LankellyChase grant giving for historic churches created a pump-priming fund which the Regeneration Taskforce could use to encourage community and parish engagement with its work and lever in match funding to meet the costs of repair adaptation and community development necessary to a project.  The link also intended to help LankellyChase ensure that their money was targeted on historic churches in need in disadvantaged areas as well as promoting best practice in how to develop community led projects.

As Programme Director at LankellyChase, Brian has overseen this partnership with the CCT’s Regeneration Taskforce. In the five years that this partnership has been running, LankellyChase Foundation has made ten grants totalling nearly £165,000 to projects undertaken by the Regeneration Taskforce.

Brian’s involvement has not just been with financial support. He has also played a significant part in mentoring regeneration projects at the Trust, through his participation in the Regeneration Taskforce Advisory Group, a peer review group which has met regularly to review and input to the team’s projects as they have evolved. This constructive sounding board and oversight has helped the team greatly when stumbling blocks have arisen, and when developing insights and best practices to be shared between projects.

Brian’s input to all of this will leave a lasting legacy both for CCT and the communities in which LankellyChase has invested, and on behalf of all those supported, we thank you!