Past Churchcare Events

We organise several events throughout the year and this page is to allow for these papers to be available to a wider audience

  

  

Building Performance (2nd October 2014)

Churches are complex buildings which support a vast range of activities; from worship, education and community support, to tourism and the display of museum-quality collections. This imposes great technical demands and at times conservation may conflict with use.

Building performance assessment is a critical tool to successful management, bringing together information not only about the fabric and the microclimate, but also about the services (especially the heating), and current and future uses. By understanding how a building is performing, day-to-day management can be more effective, care and conservation can be more sustainable, and the risks and running costs of alterations minimised.

ChurchCare ran a conference in October 2014 bringing together a range of experts, to explore the assessment of building performance and the control of internal microclimates. The focus of the conference was on the complex case of cathedrals, but its results are also of interest to those working with environmental problems in greater churches, smaller parish churches, and other types of historic buildings.

Below are the various sessions, together with speakers' presentations and additional resources. A more detailed outline of the day is available here

Building Performance in Use: the great unknown?
Dr Bill Bordass (Usable Buildings Trust)
PDF Presentation

Finding Out How Your Building is Performing: an introduction
Dr Robyn Pender (English Heritage)
PDF Presentation 

A Little and Often: maximising life expectancy of building fabric and reducing long term costs
Graham Abrey (Ingram Consultancy Limited)
PDF Presentation 

Building Conservation and Environment: commissioning useful research and understanding practical results
Tobit Curteis (Tobit Curteis Associates)
PDF Presentation 

Exeter Cathedral: working collaboratively to understand the root causes of fabric decay
Camilla Finlay (Acanthus Clews Architects)
PDF Presentation 

Winchester Cathedral: planning, commissioning and using conservation consultants when managing major projects
Annabelle Boyes and Nick Cox (Winchester Cathedral | Nick Cox Architects)With introduction by The Very Revd James Atwell, Dean of Winchester
PDF Presentation 

Durham Cathedral: exhibition and display in complex mediaeval spaces. Environmental and conservation strategies
Christopher Cotton (Purcell)
PDF Presentation 

Conservation of Fabric and Collections in Cathedrals: environmental factors
Tobit Curteis (Tobit Curteis Associates)
PDF Presentation 

Open Forum
Chaired by Jennie Page (Cathedrals Fabric Commission) with panel members from The Edge, SPAB, Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage

Festival Churches: Mission and Community (25th March 2019)

The Association of Festival Churches held its third day conference at Sheffield cathedral on 25th March 2019.  

The Chair Sir Tony Baldry introduced the speakers and led the discussions. Three presentations from that conference are accessible below and a summary of the conference is available here.

FAC Conference 2019

Liverpool Cathedral & Chester Cathedral (23-24 July 2019)

The biennial FAC Conference offered a chance for those involved in the care and conservation of cathedral buildings to meet together to discuss business under the Care of Cathedrals Measure, topics of common interest, and new developments, for example in legislation, funding and good practice. Each cathedral was encouraged to send their FAC Chair and Secretary (plus the Cathedral Administrator if they are not also the FAC Secretary) as this event was a valuable networking and professional development opportunity. Cathedral staff, cathedral architects and others with an interest in cathedral buildings and planning issues were also welcome. There were opportunities to share experiences and gain new perspectives with the host cathedrals of Liverpool and Chester. The 2019 conference included presentations on topics including Cathedrals and Pilgrimage, Visitor Engagement Planning, and Cathedral Events Policies, tours of both cathedrals, and a gala dinner in Liverpool Cathedral.

The conference programme is available here and the conference presentations are here

The next conference will be held in 2021

DAC Conference 2019 (Blackburn)

Healthy churches transforming communities 

The 2019 DAC conference with DMPCs helped us to stand back from some of the daily issues and to think more about why work with churches and church buildings matters – how a church building is part of delivering ministry and how it still stands a sign to the community that the church is there for them.

The full programme of the conference is available here, and the DAC Conference Annual Report for 2019 is here.

Selected papers from the conference are available to download below

 

DAC and DEO Conference 2020 (Virtual)

The 2020 DAC and DEO conference, due to be held in Gloucester, became a virtual event for Diocesan Advisory Committee and Diocesan Environmental Officers. Many of the presentations were recorded, and these, along with supporting materials, are presented here

The full programme of the conference is available here, and the minutes from the DAC Conference in 2019 is here.

Videos and available presentations have been made available below

 

Tuesday, 8th Sept 2020

Matt Fulford - A Zero Carbon Church - St Michaels and All Angels Withington 

Presentation file

Wednesday, 9th Sept 2020

Chris Stark, Chief Executive, UK Commission on Climate Change: Getting to net zero, 20-minute presentation and 25 minutes of questions.

Church of England Environmental Programme: national picture; The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtham (Chair, Environmental Working Group) Catherine Ross (Open and Sustainable Churches Officer), Jo Chamberlain (National Environmental Officer)

Presentation File

Findings from the energy audit programme - Catherine Ross

Presentation File 

Diocesan Examples

Southwark: Philip Fletcher (DAC Chair) and Luke Tatum (DAC Secretary): The 5th mark of mission

Presentation File

Bristol: Simon Pugh Jones (DAC Chair): Integrating the environment into the work of the DAC

Oxford: Maranda St John Nicolle (DEO): How Oxford is using the energy audit programme to help its churches

Birmingham: Patrick Gerrard (DEO): Underpew heating in St Michael, Baddesley, to help it become zero carbon

London: Brian Cuthbertson (DEO): Solar PV against the odds at St James, Clerkenwell

Carlisle: Richard Waller (DEO): in-river hydro schemes for local energy generation

Word Cloud of Responses, taken at the end of the day 2 (Wednesday).

DEO Word Cloud

Thursday 10th Sept 2020

Dave Bookless - opening thoughts and prayers

The Rt Revd Richard Cheetham, Bishop of Kingston - my environmental story.

DEO Open Mike session

DAC Conference 2021 (Virtual)

The 2021 DAC conference, hosted by Gloucester, was a virtual event split over two days on the 28th and 29th September 2021 and was divided into the four themes below.

  • The annual meeting and a presentation and discussion on Transforming Effectiveness
  • A presentation from the Dean of the Arches on the faculty rules and net-zero, and presentations around the environment and adaptation
  • An interview with the Director of Icon, a presentation on the Stoke Orchard wall paintings and some diocesan contributions
  • Extended and wider use of churches and discussion over how to start a conversation with a church about its future.

The full programme is available here, and the minutes for the 2020 Annual Meeting can be viewed here.

Videos and available presentations have been made available below.

Adapting a medieval church building for 21st-century needs, Grappenhall, St Wilfrid

Masonry conservation workshop, Redbrook, St Saviour

Project Blackjack, Cirencester, St John the Baptist

Project Blackjack: Opening ceremony

Reordering Leckhampton, St Philip & St James

Working with the DAC: Bovey Tracy, St John the Evangelist

Wall painting conservation, Stoke Orchard, St James the Great

DAC Conference 2022 (Leeds)

Churches and Communities: Building One Another Up

The annual conference for church buildings was hosted in 2022 by the Diocese of Leeds between the 20th and 22nd September, and for the first time in three years, was held in person. Talks included an update from the IHBC; discussions around being Simpler, Humbler, and Bolder; an overview of the Review of the Mission and Pastoral Measure; sustainability and strategic approaches to church support; churchyard management; and Heritage Action Zones. 

Visits included Halton: St Wilfrid, Gipton: The Epiphany, Holbeck: St Luke, Far Headingley: St Chad, Leeds Minster, Leeds: St John the Evangelist (CCT), and Boar Lane: Holy Trinity

The full programme is available here, and the minutes for the 2021 Annual Meeting can be viewed here.

Selected papers are available below

DAC Conference 2023 (Bristol)

The Importance of Welcome 
 

The annual conference for church buildings was hosted in 2023 by the Diocese of Bristol between the 5th and 7th of September,

The overall theme focused on “welcome”, including papers around Net Zero, accessibility, social engagement, and contested heritage.

Visits included Bristol: St Nicholas, Bristol,:St Matthew and St Nathanael, Bristol: St Stephen, Bristol Cathedral, Cotham: St Saviour, Clifton: All Saints, and St Mary, Redcliffe.

The full programme is available here and the papers are available below