Welcome to our August Newsletter, we do hope that you have had a good summer so far. It has been lovely to see those big, blue, Norfolk skies recently, as in our main image at the appropriately named, for this month, St Augustine’s in Norwich.
We have decided to reschedule the planned September Skills & Maintenance Day until next April to align it with the 50th Anniversary of the Trust. This will form part of a year-long series of events celebrating the vital work of the Norfolk Churches Trust over the last half century. More details of the exciting events we have planned for 2026, will be sent to you later in the year.
The Holkham Operas in July were a sell-out, and thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of Sarah, Countess of Leicester, over £26,000 was raised for The Norfolk Churches Trust.
On 17th July guests of the Trust were treated to John Vigar’s illuminating lecture Exploring Norfolk Churches, at Attleborough St Mary, pictured above. There is a final opportunity this year to attend one of John’s illustrated talks, Monuments in Norfolk Churches which will be taking place on Friday 3rd October at 2.15pm. Our venue will be Thorseby College, King’s Lynn, PE30 1HX. This talk is free to members, £10, for guests, and non-members. To book click this link .
From September, we will be hosting monthly Coffee, Clean & Chat sessions, in one of the thirteen beautiful churches cared for by the Norfolk Churches Trust.
Taking place on the first Tuesday of each month, our inaugural gathering will be at All Saints, Rackheath, NR13 6QT, pictured above, on 2nd September at 10.30am.
Whether you are a long-time supporter of the Trust or simply curious about one of our churches, come along, everyone is warmly welcome. No experience needed, just bring yourself (and maybe a duster!). We will provide everything else. We hope to see you there!
Further dates for 2025 are as follows: – 7th October, Bagthorpe, St Mary’s; 4th November, St Cecilia’s, West Bilney; 2nd December, St Peter’s, Dunton.
The Trust’s Annual General Meeting will be taking place at St George, Colegate, Norwich on Thursday 11th September at 5.30pm. The Trust supported St George’s last year with a grant to assist with emergency repair work to the corbels supporting the roof structure, as evidenced in the image above.
The AGM is a member only event, and we would be delighted as many of our members there as possible. Click here for the official notice and agenda for the evening. The official business will be followed by a talk and a tour of the church with Dr John Maddison, Trustee of the Norfolk Churches Trust. Light refreshments will be served after the talk. Evensong will follow at 7pm.
It is now less than four weeks until our major fund-raising event of the autumn, the annual Bike Ride, Walk & Drive which will be taking place this year on Saturday 13th September.
The dedicated Bike Ride, Walk & Drive page of our website contains all the information that you need to take part, and new for 2025 we have downloadable suggested BIKE Routes to take the effort out of planning. Routes are colour coded; under-10 miles, 10 – 25 miles and over-25 miles, so hopefully you will find one to suit. Click here to view them. We are hoping to add more routes before the day.
If you are intending to WALK, Steve and Lindsay Davies have kindly once more planned a walking route with 5, 8.5, and 12-mile options starting at Holkham Park, North Gate at 9.15am. Click here for details and map.
Planning to DRIVE? Why not try one of Hungate Medieval Art’s Rood Screen or Stained Glass Trails. These downloadable routes are available from them here for a small donation. So, whilst taking part you can, as an added bonus, take in some of the finest examples of stained glass and screens in the county’s churches.
We do like a bit of friendly rivalry here at the Trust, so do not forget our annual competitions. The contemplative image below by Julia Hoskins, is one of three winning entries in the photography competition from the 2024 event.
So, with most of us having a phone with the ability to take photos, why not capture images from your day and send them to us at media@norfolkchurchestrust.org.uk, we do love to see these records of the event, you may just win a prize and perhaps have the prestige of seeing your photograph in print.
The individual who raises the most money will receive a certificate signed by The Lady Dannatt MBE, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk.
Most Improved Church: Each year the church which has increased the amount of money raised by the most, (based on the previous year), is awarded £1,000 by The Norfolk Churches Trust.
You can find out details of all our competitions and activities here.
We love to hear from you and how you will be spending your ‘Bike Ride Day’ so if you have a story to share, please email it to media@norfolkchurchestrust.org.uk.
Do not forget, if you would like us to promote your fundraising event on our website, please send photo/flyer and details to media@norfolkchurchestrust.org.uk
If you would like a condensed copy of this newsletter to print out and put up in your church, you can download a copy here.
