Big thanks to all those who took part in
Yorkshire Churches Day 2024
St Aelred Pilgrim Trail (c) Valerie Mather
Open up and tell your story
Yorkshire Churches Day (YCD) is a chance for every place of worship in the county to open up and showcase the amazing history and heritage found inside their buildings.
A day to tell stories and bring to life the variety, beauty, history and sheer wonder of Yorkshire’s churches, chapels and places of worship. The aim of the day is to encourage everyone to visit their local church even if they have never stepped foot inside a church before. It will be a day for those who are curious about history and heritage of their local surroundings.
Watch below to see what YCD is all about
So many churches are getting involved – scroll down to see the list of open churches
Yorkshire Churches Day is sponsored by Pinnacle – offering expertise in historical conservation
Get involved
Once again, YCD is running in partnership with the Heritage Open Days festival (HOD), whose theme is ‘Routes – Networks – Connections’. This year, as well as individual churches opening, in line with the HOD theme, many are working together to put on trails, offering refreshments and entertainment to encourage visitors to spend a day exploring several different churches whether that be on foot, by bike or by car.
One such trail is the St Aelred Pilgrim’s Trail, organised by Upper Ryedale Parish council, who have organised a 12 mile ‘gathering’ walk, starting at All Saints in Hawnby, and gathering walkers along the way at churches in Old Byland, Scawton, and Cold Kirby, finishing with a service in Rievaulx Abbey and a celebration event in the Abbey Cafe.
http://www.saintaelredspilgrimtrail.com/
Join a guided heritage walk (approx 5 miles) to four Anglican churches starting and ending at St Stephen’s Church, Lindley visiting Birkby St John, Birkby St Cuthbert, and Birchencliffe St Philip via calm green routes where possible.
Another trail being developed will start at St Helen’s at Amotherby, near Malton, with visitors taking in All Saints in Appleton-le-Street before heading to St Michael’s in Barton-le-Street where they can get lunch and listen to an organ recital, before heading towards All Saints at Slingsby and finishing with a fizz reception at All Saints at Hovingham.
Boroughbridge Five Churches Trail and Treasure Hunt. Saturday 14 September.
St James’s Boroughbridge – St Andrew’s Aldborough – St Mary’s Dunsforth – St John’s Minskip- St Mary’s Roecliffe
Start at Boroughbridge 10.30-12.30 – parking available. Travel all or any part of the route by car, bike or walk. Map supplied , refreshments and treasure hunt vclues available in every church until 4pm .Treasure Hunt entry suggested donation at any church. £5 per adult, £3 per child or £10 per family.For queries apply to Louise at 07976 259433
Keep an eye here for further details.
If this has inspired you, click here for a detailed toolkit of how to set up a trail from the organisers of the St Aelred Pilgrim’s Trail.
Open Churches
Keep an eye on the list below of churches that will be opening up and welcoming visitors. If your church is opening for Yorkshire Churches Day, do let us know at generalenquiries@yhct.org.uk
First step – Register…
Register your event on the Heritage Open Days website, stating you are opening for YCD with the words “As part of Heritage Open Days we are opening our lovely church/chapel (delete as required) on Yorkshire Churches Day, September 14th. Come and explore our history and treasures” – and use the logo on the right
Ideas…
Although as part of the HOD remit, entry to your event must be free, there are many ways you can engage your visitors and encourage donations.
Ideas include:
Provide refreshments, run tours, stage exhibitions, offer bell ringing, put on recitals, offer skills/craft demonstrations, provide eye spy sheets for children, set up treasure hunts, seeds/book swaps, flower demonstrations, holding a teddy bears picnic – there are so many possibilities.
Publicising your event
Publicising your event is really important, let us know your plans and we will add your details to the list of participating which will drive visitors on the day.
- Registration: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/resource/getstarted2024pdf.html
- Event preparation and publicity: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/resource/getstarted2024pdf.html
Click here to download a poster allowing visitors to donate to the YHCT and add details to the poster to display in your church
More advice on the use of social media, local papers and local radio to promote your event can be found here:
Use the YCD logo on your HOD entry and any publicity you are producing:
5 good reasons to take part:
- Attract new audiences to your church
- Engage with the local community and make strong local connections
- Showcase the history and heritage of your church
- Bring in funds
- Meet and inspire potential new volunteers
Support us
Yorkshire’s places of worship need your help
It was during lockdown that the Trustees of the YHCT came up with the concept of a ‘Yorkshire Churches Day’. The day is an opportunity to raise much needed funds for places of worship in Yorkshire. The future of many churches is under threat due to crumbling roofs, windows and stonework. The YHCT works to ensure these places of worship are kept in good repair, recognising the contribution they make to society at large and the support they provide to local communities.
If you are visiting a participating church, please do consider becoming a Friend of the Trust – you will be joining a group of like minded people, passionate about preserving and maintaining places of worship and helping secure their future.
If you are opening up your place of worship, although entry must be free, we have suggested many fundraising ideas and ways to encourage donations. By taking part in Yorkshire Churches Day, you are helping all places of worship in Yorkshire as well as your own church. We’d encourage you to split any funds raised to the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, to help us continue to offer vital support to churches, chapels and meeting houses across Yorkshire. Do also consider joining as a Friend, you can see a list of all those places of worship that currently support us here:
Open Churches
Click below to see the places of worship opening up on 14 September
Do let us know if you plan to open and we’ll add you to the list
For inspiration and ideas of interesting days out visiting some of the best church heritage in the UK, check out the Explore Churches website .https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/explore
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