2024 Chair’s letter
Dear Supporter
A thank you from us all – and some personal news from me…
Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust thanks all of our friends for their continued support. And it’s goodbye and thank you from me too! I shall be standing down as GHCT Chair at the 2025 AGM, having spent five very enjoyable years in the role. It is now time for GHCT to be chaired by someone younger, with new skills and ideas. It is a fascinating job, working with a team of outstanding volunteers and getting to know some amazing churches and church people. Our Treasurer David Kingsmill is spearheading the drive to find a new Chair and, if you might be interested, please do contact him on treasurer@ghct.org.uk.
Your donations continue to save our historic heritage
During the year our Grants Committee has approved grants to 41 churches, involving a commitment of nearly £140,000, for projects ranging from organ repairs to heating systems and complete church reordering. And here are two striking examples of how GHCT grants can help churches transform themselves as community hubs.
Quarry Chapel, Cam & Dursley. This little chapel, built in their spare time by quarry workers in 1852, was under threat of closure. It has been revitalised into a thriving community hub, thanks in part to GHCT’s £15,000 grant. Alongside its role as a United Reformed Church, the chapel now provides active programmes in theatre, yoga, arts and crafts, bringing in people of all ages throughout the week.
Hope Chapel, Hotwells, Bristol. In 2020 the roof and guttering of Hope Chapel (built 1786) were putting the entire building in danger and GHCT was able to help the repair work with a £9,000 grant. The chapel, as well as being a place of Christian worship, has extended its role into being an outlet for the North West Bristol Food Bank, the base for the Soup Run for homeless people and the Ukrainian Refugees Welcome Hub.
None of this would have been possible without the financial support that you and others have given to GHCT over the years. We and the churches we serve are so grateful for the trust you have placed in us with your donations. Visit www.ghct.org.uk to discover more.
New faces... and some sad farewells
We welcome Ian Serjeant and Arthur Snell, who have joined our GHCT Council and bring new capabilities, experience and energy. We have also recruited Sophie Manuel as our part-time Administrator. Sophie is an active participant at the Quarry Chapel and, with her enthusiasm and competence, she has already made a huge impact at GHCT.
After 40 years of involvement with GHCT and 14 years as a Council Member and Trustee, Helen Whitbread will be standing down as Vice-Chair at the year-end. Helen has done a superb job, both on the Grants Committee and in bringing new people into the fold, and we are all grateful for her commitment, generosity and long service to GHCT.
During the year we heard the sad news that Julia Rausing, one of our major benefactors, had died. Her husband has continued her philanthropy through the Julia Rausing Trust (JRT), named in honour of his wife, and has generously committed a further £50,000 to Gloucestershire churches in partnership with GHCT. We are so glad that Julia’s name and work will live on through the Trust.
Ride+Stride Delivers Again
This year’s Ride+Stride maintained the momentum from 2023 and preliminary fundraising results are very encouraging for GHCT and participating churches. Ray Singleton was able to devote less time to Ride+Stride, thanks to valuable assistance from Lizzy Roughton and Simon Ray. Nonetheless we continue to search for a replacement ‘R+S Supremo’ so as to enable Ray to concentrate fully on Grants. If you might be interested, please contact us on RideandStride@GHCT.org.uk.
Supporting GHCT
It is becoming increasingly hard for GHCT to meet the urgent needs of our churches. Only through donations can GHCT have the resources for grant making -- and we urge you to look at our website www.ghct.org.uk to find a way of donating that will suit you.
We particularly encourage supporters to become regular givers by setting up standing orders with the following details: Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust, 30-92-06, 00543967
We also ask you to consider including GHCT in your Will or, If you already have a Will, to create a legacy through a simple form of Codicil which we administration@ghct.org.uk can provide.
Would you like to help?
GHCT is run almost entirely by volunteers. This enables us to say proudly that nearly all of the funds we raise will go where they are intended, to our churches — but it also means that we constantly need new volunteers to help with events, fundraising and many other functions. If you would be interested in taking on a role within the GHCT team, please get in touch through the website or by email to Chair@ghct.org.uk . We would love to hear from you.
With best wishes for Christmas and for a trouble-free and successful year in 2025.
Colin Senior
Chair, Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust