Cornwall Churches Day

Why should your community take part in Cornwall Churches Day?

The important message is that any money raised is split between your parish PCC and the CHCT 50/50, thereby benefiting the parish and also supporting our vision of providing an insurance policy for when your parish church needs help for larger projects that seem overwhelming. The CHCT can offer local knowledge and often when they support an application larger more wealthy bodies are minded to follow suit.

In 2018 we awarded £80,000 in grants to Cornish churches & chapels. In addition to this we were able to advise and direct parishes to other organisations that could offer large areas of financial support. However the reality is that the total combined project costs of churches making applications to us in 2018 was just shy of £2,000,000 therefore, it is clear that we need to be able to offer more assistance and thus why we are reaching out to all the parishes within the county to highlight what we can do with your help.

The most effective way of raising money is for each parish to organise an event of their own. It does not have to be on the second Saturday in September but the important thing is to let us know the what is happening so that we can highlight every parish’s events on our website.

In 2016 Devon achieved a county result of just over £92,000 with £46,000 for Devon Historic Churches Trust, the other half having been retained by the contributing parishes. Cornwall by comparison raised just over £4,000 with £2,000 donated to CHCT. If Cornwall’s 250 parishes could raise £100 each for CHCT we would be looking at £25,000, imagine if we improved on this and were able to raise £200 or more per parish.

With times getting ever tougher for all parishes, we need to join together to look after our county’s unique architectural gems. We have more late medieval remains in this county than anywhere else in the country and we need our communities help do that we can continue to  support them in preserving Cornish churches and chapels for our appreciation now and for future generations.

You can download posters to advertise your events and recruit volunteers below or contact your local CHCT representative using the form at the bottom of this page.

Cornwall Churches Day Volunteer Recruitment Poster

Cornwall Churches Day Events Poster

Cornwall Churches Day Sponsorship Form

Cornwall Churches Day Returns Form

Tregothnan Private Garden Open Weekend

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

Our Honorary Life President Viscount Falmouth presented our Chair, Cecilia Bisson, with a cheque for £13,000 at a BBQ to thank volunteers who assisted the Tregothnan Private Garden Open Weekend at Tregothnan Woodyard on 7th May 2025.
CHCT were immensely grateful to be invited as the secondary charity beneficiary by Viscountess Falmouth in recognition of 2025 being our 70th Anniversary. This year a record number of visitors attended with 4,900 tickets sold on Sunday alone. CHCT had been offered a £5,000 donation for taking part so to receive such a generous sum from Lord Falmouth was a wonderful surprise. “I am bowled over”, said Cecilia.

 

Community Fundraising

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

2025

East Wivelshire

Maker with Rame – sponsored Bicycle Ride – £180

Cornerstone Methodist Church – Coffee Morning £110

St Austell

St Ewe – Talk with tea £122.50

Trigg Minor and Bodmin

St Endellion – Friends’ Outing Tea £70.00

click here to find out more

Bravo Maker with Rame!

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust
On 12 September a trio of cyclists completed an 18 mile sponsored cycle ride visiting the 12 churches of the Rame Peninsula raising a total of £360 for CHCT and the Maker with Rame churches.
Over hilly terrain on a windy but sunny day they visited Cawsand Congregational Church, St Andrew’s Cawsand, St Germanus Rame, St John, St James Antony, St Philip & St James Maryfield, Torpoint Cornerstone Methodist Church, St James Torpoint, St Joan of Arc Torpoint, All Saints Millbrook, Millbrook Methodist Church and finally St Mary & St Julian Church Maker.
The team set a new record covering the distance in 2 1/2 hours including a welcome break for coffee and cake at Maryfield, kindly supplied by a team of Maker Church bell ringers. They were down on cyclist numbers this year and intend to advertise more widely next time!
Of note was the brilliant financial support of £9,500 by CHCT to the recently completed £110,000 Maker Church Restoration project which successfully addressed the poor state of the tower pinnacles, parapets and tower roof in May and June this year. The pinnacles and parapets were repointed with the best Cornwall lime mortar, and the roof structure repaired and releaded all to time and cost. All old lead graffiti was cut out and resoldered to the new roof. It’s a sight to belold!

Illuminating Cornish Lantern Crosses

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

Andrew Langdon gave a brilliant talk at St Mawgan-in-Pydar on 18th April 2024 based on his book “Illuminating Cornish Lantern Crosses” co-written with Ann Preston-Jones. Seventy people attended raising £459 split between the PCC and CHCT as part of the Cornwall Churches Day initiative.


We were blessed with rare (this year) spring sunshine to view St Mawgan’s Lantern Cross, the old St Mawgan Cross brought from what is now part of the airfield to the churchyard and the 10th Century Lanherne Cross in the adjacent convent afterwards. A great day out. Thank you to Rev Helen Baber and David and Jackie Oglethorpe for welcoming CHCT to your church.

St Neot Midsummer Event

Cornwall Historic Churches Trust

A thoroughly enjoyable evening was enjoyed by 120 people at Trevenna, St Neot celebrating Midsummer and raising the magnificent sum of £2,500 for church funds. CHCT is immensely grateful to the PCC for donating £500 of this to us. Thanks are due to PCC member Jonathan Rowe for allowing St Neot Church to use his wedding venue, Trevenna, Mandy and all the staff at Trevenna plus all the community volunteers who dressed the marquee, set up the games, entertainment and music.