Open Norfolk churches to community use plea

SEP 08

The Norwich Diocese is keen to promote the use of its churches for wider community use as well as for Christian worship and a September conference is set to explore the possibilities.

Plans are now firmly in place for The Norfolk Churches Building Opportunities Conference on Friday September 26 in Norwich.  

 

With more historic church buildings than anywhere else in Western Europe the Norwich Diocese is keen to promote opportunities for their wider use and this conference aims to do that by bringing together a wide range of organisations and individuals concerned with their management and promotion at St Andrew’s Hall.

Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich (right), who will lead the conference. said: “Norfolk has more historic medieval churches than anywhere else in Western Europe and alongside their role as centres for Christian worship the Diocese is keen to promote opportunities for their wider use by the local community. 

"There are many stakeholders in this area of work and we believe that it is important to gather them together, share positive practices and seek to develop new networks and partnerships. The conference will be of interest to anyone who cares about the future of Norfolk’s historic church buildings and wants to explore ways that they can be better equipped to serve their local communities.”

 

The conference will include presentations from:

 

Andrew Ramsay, CB – Director General of Partnerships and Programmes at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

 

Susan Rowe – a freelance consultant working with groups on the development of community projects in church buildings

 

Stephen Bowler – Assistant Head of the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England

 

Diana Evans – Head of Places of Worship Policy at English Heritage

 

There will also be a chance to find out about the work of the Norfolk Open Churches Project and the Norwich Heritage and Economic Regeneration Trust. A range of funding and community support organisations will also be on hand to answer specific queries on how they can support people seeking to adapt and develop their church building for wider community use.