There goes the sun!
We had a fabulous evening at Corpusty, St Peter on Thursday 30th July, where a packed audience were treated to Music for a Summer’s Evening performed by the wonderful Saltmarsh Strings.
They were accompanied by a beautiful sunset which created a lovely warm and intimate glow throughout the church, which certainly added to the ambience of the occasion. You can read about the evening and see more images here.
This event raised a fantastic £1,500 which will help maintain the 13 Leased Churches in the direct care of the Trust, of which Corpusty is one. For more on the churches that we maintain and keep open for visitors follow this link.
There will be a Eucharist Service at St Peter’s Corpusty on Sunday 30th August at 10.30am. All welcome.
As we move towards the end of summer our thoughts now turn to the annual Bike Ride, Walk, & Drive which is taking place on Saturday 12th September.
For the Bike Ride element of the event, we share with you the story of Robert Taylor. Robert is blind, well, virtually; he has less than 1% vision in each eye. He was registered Severely Sight Impaired in 1997 with an hereditary strain of the condition known as Retinitis Pigmentosa. He recently rediscovered the joy of cycling, which he credits to Vision Norfolk for introducing him to West Norfolk CTC – Cycling UK, who he says has opened his eyes, to what he can do! He now cycles on the back of a tandem as a stoker with his pilot Michael Jay.
So, his goal for the day is to cover 100 kilometres (approx. 62 miles) and visit 25 churches, you can see his route here.
Robert says, “I am treating the NCT Bike Ride on 12th September as not only an opportunity of raising funds for St Andrew’s Church, Little Massingham, but a means of highlighting visual impairment issues, whilst trying to prove that a diagnosis of blindness is not an end-of-life sentence. There are many groups out there who will help our community try and lead as normal a life as possible.”
There is more information on Robert’s challenge here, and if you would like to support him follow this link to Robert’s Blind Bike Ride.
Bishops on Bikes!
Here we have a trio of Bishop’s giving their support to the Norfolk Churches Trust Bike Ride, Walk & Drive.
From left to right: –
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher
The Bishop of Lynn, the Rt Revd Dr Jane Steen
The Bishop of Thetford, the Rt Revd Ian Bishop
We hope you have as much fun on the day, as they seem to be having on their photoshoot.
Don’t forget the various competitions linked to our Bike Ride, Walk & Drive event.
Each year the church which has increased the amount of money raised during the event by the most, (based on the previous year) is awarded £1,000 by Norfolk Churches Trust. The award for 2025 for the most improved fundraising church for 2025 went to Thurning, St Andrew. There will be a presentation at the church on 26th August to celebrate.
The Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate, is presented annually to the person who raises the most and for 2025 this recipient was Paul Nicholls, who took part to benefit Burgh Castle, St Peter & St Paul. He raised the fantastic sum of £3,028.75 and managed to fill an impressive fifteen sponsor forms.
We also have our photography competitions. For 2026 we have introduced a new 16 and under competition with the winning entry receiving a new bike or a voucher for cycling equipment up to the value of £250.
We also have our regular photography competition for those aged over 16, where there are three categories; Exterior, Interior and Spirit of the Day. The winning entry for each category will receive £50.
All entries to the photography competitions must feature an element of a church, chapel or meeting house, full details including terms and conditions on all our competitions can be found here.
Finally, we have our Wall of Fame, featuring the ten people who visit the most number of churches by bike or on foot on the day.
Planning to WALK? Well, these boots were certainly made for walking! Steve and Lindsay Davis have planned a walking route along a lovely piece of Norfolk coastline and the Burnham Churches, you can find their route here.
Fancy an inland option? Historically Norwich had 57 parish churches within its medieval city walls, with 31 still surviving today, as well as two cathedrals and churches and chapels from other eras. So, the city is the perfect place to visit many interesting churches on foot for the ‘walk’ element of the event.
Planning to DRIVE? Then we have two options for you this year. Firstly, you can use your car as your mode of transport, or secondly, and new for 2026, you can take part in the Classic Car Road Trip.
Start your journey from one of three historic country houses then make your way to Elsing Hall, visiting churches along the way to find the answers to the Classic Car Quiz.
Entries for the Classic Car Road Trip close on 1st September, so don’t leave it too late to register.
All the details you need to take part in our very first Classic Car Road Trip can be found here.
We hope your day is a Triumph!
One of the submissions in our Secret Artist Auction could not be more apt, linking, as it does, the Classic Car Road Trip and the Secret Artist Auction, with bidding opening on Saturday 12th September, the same day as the Bike Ride, Walk & Drive.
We will have approximately 100 works of art generously donated by artists from Norfolk and beyond in our auction, with all proceeds going to support grant funding for repair and conservation Norfolk’s church heritage. We would like to extend a big thank you to all our Secret Artists for their generosity.
Have a look at our online gallery from the comfort of your armchair, or view in person at two special exhibitions.
The first will be at the Red Dot Gallery, Holt, from 12th – 19th September, and remember online bidding will open on that initial day. Our second, and final opportunity, to see all the artworks up close, will be on Thursday 22nd October at a special evening event at the Weston Room, Norwich Cathedral, when bidding will close. Places are limited, so don’t miss out on the excitement of the bidding room by securing your place here.
Have you been able to match the artwork to the artist yet? If you have, remember it’s a secret!
Nick Crane, will be discussing his latest book The Path More Travelled – The Secret History of Britain’s Footpaths at Elsing Hall, NR20 3DX, on Friday 2nd October.
The evening will commence at 6.00pm with a welcome drink followed by an illustrated talk by Nick, after which there will be a short Q & A session. Priced at £30 per person or £50 per couple, with both options including one copy of the book. Apply for your place here.
Booking will be closing on 11th September and spaces are limited so make sure you don’t miss out on this exclusive member-only literary evening.
Whilst we are on the subject of new books, the Norfolk Churches Trust is pleased to announce its very own publication, timed to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
Through inspiring stories, historic milestones and beautiful photography, Saving Norfolk’s Churches: 50 Years of the Norfolk Churches Trust, pays tribute to the churches, volunteers, supporters and countless individuals whose dedication has shaped the Trust’s remarkable journey.
The book is available to pre-order, priced at £35 plus £5 postage, ready for December delivery. The perfect Christmas present for those with an interest in Norfolk, its churches, and the story of the Trust.
The presentation of the inaugural Norfolk Churchyard Conservation Award will be taking place on Saturday 10th October as part of Sacred Spaces: churchyards for nature.
The Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich will be the Keynote speaker at this afternoon of talks and stalls concentrating on biodiversity, conservation and churchyard best practice.
The event, taking place between midday and 4pm at St Andrew the Apostle Church, Holt, is free to attend but pre-booking is essential which you can do here.
50 for 50 for 50!
As part of the Trust’s 50th anniversary celebrations we allocated a special fund of £50,000, 50 (thousand) for 50 (churches) to celebrate our 50 (years). This fund has enabled 50 churches, that are suitable, to apply for a grant of £1,000 towards the installation of an automated locking system for their building, with the aim that more churches would be able to be open to visitors.
Here we share an image from Hainford, All Saints one of the churches to benefit from the scheme.
Constructed in 1838, All Saints was the first Victorian church built in the county. Two other churches in their benefice will have their locks fitted shortly.
Thank you to our members and supporters for their generosity which has enabled the Trust to award these grants.
Trust Members will shortly be receiving our 2025/2026 Annual Report along with a notice inviting them to our AGM which will be taking place at St Peter’s Corpusty on Thursday 17th September at 5pm.
Following the business of the evening, we will be welcoming our Guest Speaker, Rachel Morley, Director of the Friends of Friendless Churches.
Rachel’s talk, Rude forefathers, diabolical pacts, and a guest of Time, will begin with Corpusty Church, and will trace the origins of Norfolk’s church conservation movement, from collaboration with the Friends of Friendless Churches to the creation of the Norfolk Churches Trust. Reflecting on fifty years of non-stop fundraising, rescue, repair, and advocacy by both charities, it will unpick some of the challenges facing historic churches and end with a reminder about why we all do this and why these buildings continue to matter.
Rachel Morley is the Director of the Friends of Friendless Churches. With the FoFC she has saved 27 closed places of worship in England and Wales. She has served as a judge for the John Betjeman Award for Church Conservation and Repair, and as Chair and Trustee of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Her first book, Church Crawling, will be published in September. From the blacksmith’s son who changed how we chart time to a teenage girl weaving baskets to raise money for repairs, each chapter takes a different ‘ordinary’ life and explores the reasons why church buildings matter and, when more and more are facing closure, why we must fight for their survival.
And finally…….
Wonderful Evenings at Holkham
What a wonderful two evenings were had at this year’s Holkham Opera! We were absolutely thrilled that the event, organised by Sarah, Countess of Leicester, raised more than £40,000 for the Norfolk Churches Trust through the extraordinarily generous support of its sponsors.
The performance of Rossini’s La Cenerentola on the Saturday evening, was a memorable occasion in every respect, and we were particularly honoured to welcome His Majesty The King to the performance.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Sarah, Countess of Leicester, for her tremendous commitment to the Trust, and to everyone who supported and contributed to making this event such an outstanding success.
You can download a condensed version of this Newsletter for your church noticeboard here.
