Trevor Cooper, Chairman of the Council of the Ecclesiological Society (pictured visiting churches in Wales), has been awarded an MBE for services to Ecclesiastical Heritage. Trevor says that he was ‘surprised and honoured’ to receive this recognition, which he wants to accept on behalf of all his colleagues. He is delighted too that the work of others in promoting and looking after our ecclesiastical heritage has been recognised in the Honours List in the award of an OBE to Janet Gough, former Director of ChurchCare, and also to Crispin Truman, CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust.
Trevor points out that in the UK there are about 20,000 listed places of worship, and comments that ‘Many people do not appreciate that they are paid for and looked after almost entirely by volunteers, with most of the cost of maintenance and repairs coming from the private purse, not public money. This band of thousands of volunteers are the real heroes, but they are almost completely under the radar; I would love them to receive much greater public recognition and support’. He adds that the Ecclesiological Society plays an important role in this, sharing knowledge and understanding of these unique buildings, and providing a forum for discussion of their future.
Geoff Brandwood Memorial Lecture: Historic building mythbusting – investigating mediaeval parish churches
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1990–2021
Competing Churches and Chapels, 1829–1939
Study Day: St Cadoc, Llancarfan and St Illtud, Llantwit Major, WalesHave you got a story of general interest about churches?
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The Ecclesiological Society