Peter Aiers, director of The Churches Conservation Trust in the south-east of England writes about #Champing and the UK’s heritage tourism offer . . .
‘THE UK boasts around 400,000 listed buildings, and more than 16,000 churches. But as the organizations who look after our built heritage adjust to a new climate of fiscal restraint, we have had to think carefully about how to attract new visitors to these important places, in order to raise funds for their upkeep.
As a nation, we are less likely to visit our historic churches than our forefathers. So how can we make sure they are kept safe for generations to come? Heritage charities are a major contributor to tourism. It’s vital that we act not only to protect and conserve our historic buildings, but also generate interest in the buildings and their history, and encourage younger people to visit and enjoy them.
In 2015, The Churches Conservation Trust launched a new initiative: in-church camping adventures, or “Champing”. Champing is a new experience offering people the opportunity to absorb hundreds of years of history by staying overnight in some of the most beautiful and historic churches in England. The breaks make for a virtuous circle whereby people can have a real adventure staying in an historic church and by doing so, contribute to the upkeep of the building and prevent its possible closure. Equipment such as composting loos and beds is brought in and taken away with no permanent alterations made to the buildings which are so often highly protected.
It’s also a scheme designed to help the local tourism economy as we use local businesses to provide cleaning and catering for our guests. With links to other experiences such as canoeing, guests can choose to explore and enjoy more of the local surroundings and as a result, strengthen the local economy.
Our first year of operation was a great success with around 300 people Champing in four churches, and this year we have expanded Champing to ten sites across the south-east and East Anglia.
By innovating in this way, The Churches Conservation Trust has been able to reach new audiences while generating much-needed revenue to keep our collection of 349 historic churches across England in good repair.
There are further innovations to come from Champing as we seek to spread its appeal across the British Isles and Europe. It’s initiatives like these which will enable us to attract new visitors, boost tourism, and most importantly maintain our historical buildings and preserve our heritage for generations to come.
www.champing.co.uk
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