Stay in a church; Holy heritage boosts local tourism

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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York Minster to stage Mystery Plays

THE NAVE of the 800-year-old York Minster will be transformed into a 1,000-seat theatre this summer as the Mystery Plays return to the stage. 

The plays dramatize the story of the creation of heaven and earth. 

It is the first time in 16 years –and only the second time in their near 700-year history – that the Mystery Plays have been performed inside the church.

Phillip McGinley, best known for his role as Anguy in Game of Thrones, will play the role of Jesus. Alongside him will be hundreds of York people involved as cast members and as backstage helpers.

Vivienne Faull, Dean of York Minster, said: ‘After a gap of 16 years it is a great pleasure and enormously exciting to stage the Mystery Plays at York Minster again. The stories of the plays are stamped across the very fabric of the cathedral, from the carvings in the stonework to the stained- glass in the Great East Window, which depicts the cycles dramatized in the plays.’

The plays run from May 26 to June 30.

https://yorkminster.org/mysteryplays2016/the-plays.html

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Church tours

THE CHURCHES CONSERVATION TRUST (CCT) has unveiled a programme of overnight historic church tours, with packages starting at £200pp, inclusive of lodgings, food, drink, travel, and guided tours.

Tours will take place across the country from May until September, and will run alongside a series of one day historic church tours on offer nationwide.

Tickets are available from the CCT’s website … visitchurches.org/tours

The trust is charged with protecting 347 church buildings which attract almost two million visitors a year. The trust’s collection includes irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology, and art from 1,000 years of English history. All churches in the trust’s care are listed, mostly Grade I and II, and some are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

www.visitchurches.org.uk

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Saints and Sinners in Wiltshire

THE Churches Conservation Trust – the national charity protecting historic churches at risk – has partnered with #VisitWiltshire to launch a heritage trail featuring four of its Wiltshire churches with four of the county’s best pubs and hotels.

The trust’s 21 churches in Wiltshire are open as free heritage attractions, many of which represent almost 1,000 years of English history and together attract more than 38,000 visitors a year.

As part of a drive to boost the number of visitors to these historic buildings, the charity and VisitWiltshire have matched four of its most idyllic countryside churches with four outstanding lunch venues to make a day out or short break for locals and tourists.

Katrina Hurford, national marketing manager at The Churches Conservation Trust, explains: ‘Our churches have a lot to offer in the way of nourishment for the eyes, ears, and soul, but nothing in the way of more practical nourishment! With these new partnerships, each pairing provides opportunities to explore the Wiltshire countryside by foot, bike, or car, to discover hidden gems offering irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology, and art, and to enjoy some of the finest produce Wiltshire has to offer, expertly presented.’

The four churches featured are: All Saints’ in Alton Priors; St. Leonard’s in Sutton Veny; St. Mary’s in Old Dilton; and St. John the Baptist in Inglesham. They are partnered with The Red Lion Freehouse in Pewsey, The Beckford Arms in Fonthill Gifford, The Three Daggers in Edington, and Stanton House Hotel in Stanton Fitzwarren.

To download the trail, go to www.visitchurches.org.uk/saintsandsinnerswiltshire

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Picture Credit: "All Saints Alton Priors" by Kevin Farmer. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons,