Winter newsletter

Dear Friends and Supporters,

At the end of what has been another challenging year for all of us, I wanted to thank you for your continued support for the Trust. Let us hope that 2022 will be brighter on all fronts.

During the course of 2021, the YHCT Trustees have been delighted to award over £120,000 to twenty seven places of Christian worship across the counties of Yorkshire .

Funding has been awarded to assist with vital repairs and maintenance, ranging from small scale gutter maintenance to contributions to major re-roofing projects. 

We are particularly pleased to have been able to award funding to Methodist, Anglican, Roman Catholic and Quaker denominations. Recipients include a Meeting  House in rural Malhamdale, the Grade I listed Rotherham Minster, St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bradford and St Mary’s Chapel in Crathorne on the edge of the North York  Moors.

In many cases, the funding was awarded alongside other larger national grants, which means the vital repair works can now begin.

All the recipients continue to feel the effect of the lockdown and subsequent restrictions on their ability to fundraise, but at the same time, they continue to play such an important role in their local communities. Now, more than ever, they need our help to ensure they remain standing for many years to come.

We were delighted to welcome Friends on the two tours we were finally able to run this year, and I was pleased to see so many of you virtually on Zoom for our series of lectures. Details of forthcoming events can be found in this newsletter.

In 2021 we have continued to receive support from the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, the Holy Rood Community Trust, and many individuals who have continued to support our activities. We’re very grateful for their continued and generous support for our work.

All good wishes for 2022, and I look forward to seeing you at an event in what we hope will be a promising and healthy New Year.

Tom Ramsden – Chairman

Grants News

Trustees awarded just under £70,000 to seventeen churches from across Yorkshire for essential repair and maintenance works at the latest grants committee in October.

This  funding provides a vital lifeline to places of worship who have been unable to carry out their usual fundraising activities over the past year, and at a time when many are increasingly providing a number of essential services to local communities, such as post office services, food banks, homeless support, credit unions, as well as offering buildings that provide peace and comfort.

The full list of churches receiving grants are:

All Saints Church, Kirby Underdale

Recent events

In July, we were joined by twenty seven Friends and Supporters for a wonderful exploration of four very different churches. We visited All Saints in Pocklington, a large town church, St Ethelburga, a small Norman church in Great Givendale and St Edith in Bishop Wilton, where we also enjoyed lunch at the local pub. Our last stop was All Saints in Kirby Underdale (pictured above), a church of great historical and architectural importance.

Click here for full details of this visit: https://www.yhct.org.uk/eventspage/#:~:text=was%20bitterly%20regretted%3F-,Past%20events,-Churches%20of%20the

Upcoming events

Zoom lectures

As the Zoom talks last year proved to be popular, we have planned more free monthly talks in January, February and March. The talks are open to all, friends and non-friends.

Thursday January 20 at 7.00pm. The Sykes Churches of East Yorkshire.

Thursday February 17 at 7.00pm. ‘For botchying glasse’ the Crosby family of glaziers and glass painters in 17th century York.

Thursday March 24 at 7.00pm   Survivors of the Wreck: Post -Reformation monastic remains in Yorkshire Parish Churches.

And if you wish to listen again to Dr Kate Giles December lecture on The Guild Chapel at  Stratford-upon-Avon please click here https://youtu.be/7vEZM0NeZhk

More details about all the Zoom talks can be found here: https://www.yhct.org.uk/eventspage/#:~:text=Zoom%20lectures%20December%202021%20%E2%80%93%20March%202022

Church Tours

We are delighted to be running another series of the popular church tours, starting in the spring.

The first tour will be held on Friday 6 May 2022 and we will be looking at the stained glass in All Saints Church, Hovingham, York followed by tea in Hovingham Hall.

Details here:  https://www.yhct.org.uk/eventspage/#:~:text=youtu.be/VPPGTWrxx0o-,Forthcoming%20events,-Friday%206th%20May

Additional tours will be held in June, September and October, including a tour of a group of churches in South Yorkshire; a visit to some of the Sykes Churches in East Yorkshire and an afternoon tour of the stained glass in the lesser-known churches in the City of York. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

The work of the Grants Committee

Churches of any Christian denomination can apply to the YHCT, whether they are unlisted or listed. There are two grant committees per year, April and October, who meet prior to the main Trustee meetings.  There are four Trustee meetings per annum. All applicants to the YHCT can be assured of a very fair and thorough application process.

The Trust is very fortunate to have a Grants Committee that includes conservation architects or retired professionals in related building or educational sectors. We are very grateful to them for giving their time and skills freely.

As well as the paper-based assessment, applicants benefit from a visit from a member of the Committee. A  visit to the applicant churches is important enabling us to  talk  with the people there, assess various criteria including  the architectural merit of the building, the quality of the professional involvement, the need and urgency of the works and how they have secured funds from other sources, for example  from other grant bodies

The Grant Secretary assesses the applications and liaises with the Grant Committee Chairman, Sylvia Johnson.  The finalised applications are divided between the voluntary Grant Committee members for visits and assessment. A report of each visit is made which is then discussed by the full Grant Committee.  A summary of the recommended grants is prepared and this is discussed at the next Trustee meeting.  Finally, the Secretary reports back to the parishes about the level of their grant.

“The YHCT was a huge help when we needed support for urgent repairs to our church. Their website was clear with lots of good guidance and advice, and a straightforward application process. YHCT made a personal visit which allowed us to show first-hand the work that was needed. We talked-through our other fundraising activities and were able to show our passion to maintain our beautiful church. We were delighted to be awarded a grant which enabled us to start the work”.

Ian Nursey, Treasurer and Churchwarden to St. Margaret’s Church, Long Riston, Hull.

Leave a lasting legacy

Many of us share a deep love and appreciation of the way places of worship shape and frame the landscape and the built environment. Across Yorkshire we are blessed with outstanding examples of the changing styles of ecclesiastic architecture.

Their architectural dominance and spiritual resonance have shaped our great county.   They need and deserve our help.

Leaving a gift in your Will is a lasting way to continue supporting these places of worship beyond your lifetime and ensure they are kept alive for future generations to enjoy.

Making a bequest is simple – it can be included in a new Will or added as a codicil to your existing Will.

A bequest to a charity is free of inheritance tax.

It is simple to make a legacy gift:

1)         Make a Will and review it regularly

2)         Consider leaving a gift to the YHCT

3)         Contact your solicitor

Your gift, regardless of size, will support Yorkshire’s churches and chapels for many years to come, and give pleasure to generations who follow in your steps.

Our legacy policy

The Trustees of the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT) will:

·        use your gift wisely and for the lasting benefit of Yorkshire’s churches and chapels

·        respect your right to change your mind at any time (as your future circumstances may change)

·         direct you to specialist advice about making a Will and your intended gift.

More details on making a legacy to the YHCT  can be found here: