Date:
17 September 2026
5.00pm
Norfolk Churches Trust AGM
Thursday 17th September
5.00 pm
St Peter’s, Corpusty situated on the main Norwich to Holt Road, NR11 6QE What3words ///paler.rigs.century
Guest Speaker Rachel Morley Director, Friends of Friendless Churches
When Corpusty church appeared in John Betjeman`s film A Passion for Churches in 1974 it was a boarded-up ruin. There was a ‘something must be done’ moment during a visit by Lady Harrod turning the church into the catalyst which led to the founding of the Norfolk Churches Trust. In 1982 St Peter’s was taken on by The Friends of Friendless Churches who carried out substantial work to the tower. Through them and the efforts of a few locals the building was stabilised to stop it deteriorating further. The roof was repaired and the windows glazed to keep out the worst of the weather. In 2009 the church passed into the care of the Norfolk Churches Trust.
To add to the ambience of evening the church will be candlelit and there will be a musical interlude provided by Sara Longe (violin) one quarter of the Saltmarsh Strings who recently performed at this church on a
wonderful evening in July.
So, it seems most apt in our 50th anniversary year that this church is the location for our AGM and we are delighted that Rachel Morley from the Friends of Friendless Churches will be our Guest Speaker.
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 — 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 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.
