Supporting people who care for places of worship

SPAB Maintenance Cooperative Project

Supporting people who care for places of worship

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

Stave of decay by daily repair William Morris

Building on the award-winning Faith in Maintenance programme, the aims of the Project are:

• to provide training, support and resources

• to create a sustainable network of volunteers, supported by SPAB

• to enable volunteers to confidently and effectively carry out essential preventative maintenance at their local places of worship

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

Faith in Maintenance

Faith in Maintenance was a unique five year project, funded by the HLF and English Heritage, that provided free one day training courses and support for the thousands of volunteers in England and Wales who help to maintain our historic places of worship.

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

• 150 courses run throughout England and Wales 2007-11

• Telephone helpline• Maintenance Calendar• Good Maintenance

Guide• Faith in Maintenance

DVD• Emails, blogs and

news

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

As a result of the courses participants reported that they:

• were spending more time inspecting their place of worship per month

• Required contractors to have more conservation experience

• Felt more confident seeking advice from professional advisors

• Enjoyed their voluntary role more

• Updated their maintenance logbook more regularly

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

…but there is still more that we can do

• Resources for historic places of worship are limited • There is often a high turnover of volunteers • Very little practical training for new volunteers• Volunteers sometimes feel isolated and unsupported• Volunteers would like to be able to exchange ideas and swap

experiences with others

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

The project has received a £907,400 Heritage Lottery Fund grant towards a total project cost of £1,202,050It is working to build capacity at community level in five target areas of the country: • Lincolnshire• Cumbria, • North East• Worcestershire/ Herefordshire • Dorset and Somerset

Maintenance Cooperatives

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

The maintenance co-operatives allow people to share ideas, resources and good practice. Groups benefit from a tailored training programme designed to meet local needs and interests on topics such as: • Preventative building

maintenance• understanding traditional building

materials• working with professionals• project planning and welcoming

visitors

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

Legacy• In each region 3-5 cooperatives will be

set-up with the support of the SPAB team.

• New web-based, social media and printed educational resources

• An annual conference as part of National Maintenance Week 

• Template for best practise that can be easily adopted in other regions

PartnersThe project is being delivered with the support and assistance of a number of national partners including: • English Heritage• The Arthur Rank Centre • The Churches Conservation Trust • The National Churches Trust • Caring for Gods Acre • The War Memorials TrustAs well as many local organisations

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

Get involved!Places of worship do not have to be old or listed to be involved, and they can be used by any faith.If you would like to know more about the project including:• What events are happening in your area• How to volunteer• How to involve your place of worshipor• How your place of worship can benefit if

it is not located in one of our project areas

Please get in touch!

Dates for the diary

Herefordshire Launch 14th May

Worcestershire Launch 31st May

South Lincolnshire Launch31st May

Maintenance Co-operatives Conference21st NovemberMerchant Taylors Hall, YorkTickets coming soon.

www.SPABMCP.org.uk

Team MCPKate StreeterProject Managerkate.streeter@spab.org.uk07776 201484

Sheila Christie Administratorsheila.christie@spab.org.uk0207 377 1644

James InnerdaleTechnical Officerjames.innerdale@spab.org.uk07776 204182

Stella JacksonLincolnshire Project Officerstella.jackson@spab.org.uk07776 156274

Alaina Schmisseur, North East Project Officeralaina.schmisseur@spab.org.uk07776 180344

Kate AndrewHerford and Worcestershire Project Officerkate.andrew@spab.org.uk07776 188482

Colm O’Kelly, Somerset and Dorset Officercolm.okelly@spab.org.uk07776 185668

Sue Manson, Cumbrian Project Officersue.manson@spab.org.uk07776 197143