Publications

Click here for the following: Books for Sale, Annual ReportsTrustees Annual Reports and Accounts, Press Releases, Church Card Archive, Churches and Chapels Visited by Date, Churches and Chapels visited by Location, Policies and Procedures

Our Patron Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Grand Designs says:

“Our churches are literally our historic and cultural touchstones – in our landscapes, built environment, family histories and our communities. They embody faith, beauty, craftsmanship and collective memory. So we should cherish them.”

Links Page

The Somerset Historic Environment Record is part of the much larger South West Heritage Trust website. Our Links Page has links to this website and over twenty other organisations concerned with religious and historic buildings.

SOMERSET CHURCHES TRUST ROOF ALARM CAMPAIGN SUCCESS

Easter 2020 has seen the successful completion of Somerset Churches Trust’s roof alarm grant campaign in conjunction with Allchurches Trust, the charitable owner of Ecclesiastical Insurance.

Against a background of continuing lead thefts from churches, Chris Hawkings (Trustee) led Somerset Churches Trust (SCT) in a pioneering project with Allchurches Trust. The partnership was to use SCT’s existing grant giving scheme to distribute funds to mainly rural churches in Somerset to enable them to install roof alarms.

Click here to read the full press Release

Roof Alarm Grants Still Available

We are pleased to announce that grants for roof alarms are now available direct from Allchurches Trust. Allchurches are offering grants of up to £2,500 subject to a maximum of 50% of the cost of the installation. Systems must have the approval of the church insurers and be subject to a five year maintenance contract. 

APPLY NOW by clicking on this link to Allchurches website where you will find an Application Form.

This year's event is due to take place on Saturday 12th September. We are still hoping to run this event but in the light of the ongoing coronavirus situation are awaiting guidance from the National Organisation and Government Guidance. We will announce here as soon as we can what we intend to do.

Annual Report and Accounts 2018-2019

Our Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2019 are now available.
Click here for the full report.

A Welcome from the Chairman

Welcome to our website. We are an independent, non-denominational trust raising money for the repair and improvement of churches and chapels open for Christian worship in the historic county of Somerset. The Trust, founded in 1996 under the name Friends of Somerset Churches and Chapels, exists to encourage interest and the involvement of all members of the community in the magnificent heritage of our fine religious buildings. Already, since its founding, the Trust has made grants of almost £700,000 to over 300 churches and chapels in Somerset. I hope to meet you at one of our church crawls. If you need any information about our activities or how to apply for a grant do please get in touch. All the information you need is on our contacts page. Dr Axel Palmer Chairman

Grant Applications and Closing Date

We welcome applications from churches and chapels of all denominations for grants towards repairs and improvements to enable wider community use subject to our grant terms and conditions. Applicants who are not already members of the trust must become members for at least three years in order for a grant to be paid. Grant applications must normally be received one calendar month before the date of the trustees meeting at which the application will be considered. In view of the current coronavirus situation we are unable to visit churches to undertake assessments and we do not have trustee meetings at regular intervals. However, churches are still invited to submit applications for grants and we will respond as soon as we can. 
Click here for more information on Grant Applications.

See Where We've Been on our Church Crawls!

A complete list is now available of every church and chapel we have ever visited since the trust was formed in 1996. You can search by the date of the first visit or alphabetically. Click on the links below to go straight to the lists. If there is somewhere we have missed where you would like to visit then do let us know.

Churches and Chapels visited by date of first visit.
Alphabetical list of churches and chapels visited.