How much did our big fundraising day on September 9th 2023 raise? We asked our supporters to pull out all the stops as it was our 50th Anniversary and they really did! Despite a heatwave Suffolk Churches Ride and Stride and Pedal & Drive jointly raised £214,470!! Up 23% on 2022 and the highest figure ever raised. Thank you! CLICK HERE for more details.
The first church grants for 2024 have been announced. Congratulations to eight churches… CLICK HERE for more details.
EXCITING NEWS: Our final anniversary year project was to create Suffolk Churches Guides Online – a central resource point for church guides of all denominations and it is here, on this website!
To access the many church guides available so far (with more to come) CLICK HERE
To learn more about how it was created CLICK HERE
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The Anniversary has been marked by several special events through the year including a celebration service at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, that was held on Sunday 17th September.
For more details of how we have celebrated the anniversary click HERE
Our special Queen’s Jubilee Grants are coming to fruition- and we’d love to see more or your completed projects. Here are just a few we have received so far…..https://shct.org.uk/2023/10/12/jubilee-grants-coming-to-fruition/
Plus, the October 2023 grants have been awarded – to twelve Suffolk churches. Click Here
RIDE AND STRIDE and PEDAL & DRIVE 2023
THANK YOU to all our riders and striders, classic/vintage car drivers and the wonderful volunteers who made our BIG FUNDRAISING DAY so special! We hoped you had fun and didn’t get too hot!!
For photos of this year Pedal & Drive vintage or classic cars … CLICK HERE
A NEW HYMN FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY!
‘Stand on the Faith’ is a brand new song written by Andy Rayner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Suffolk Historic Churches Trust. It is available on Youtube and on all audio streaming platforms, and churches and schools are welcome to download the music and get singing! For more details CLICK HERE.
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THE HISTORY OF THE SUFFOLK HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST
Led by the inspiration and determination of the 11th Duke of Grafton and supported by the Hon. Jill Ganzoni, Norman Scarfe (one of Suffolk’s most eminent historians), and Alfred Williams of Haughley Park, the Trust was launched in December 1973.
Since then the Trust has raised and distributed the equivalent of ten million pounds (in today money) to help with the repair and maintenance of these churches. The Trust is non-denominational and all churches, chapels and meeting houses are eligible to apply for grants.
The Trust derives its income from membership of its Friends organisation, donations, grants and legacies and in particular from the annual sponsored Ride and Stride, held in September each year.
Suffolk’s Churches
The landscape of Suffolk would look very different without the 500 medieval churches the county can be so proud of. Then there is the role of non-conformist chapels and meeting houses in our history. Even non-worshipping members of communities appreciate that it is worth the time and money involved in preserving churches and chapels for future generations. (For more details of why Suffolk’s religious buildings are important to the local economy, click here)
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The next Suffolk Churches Ride and Stride, and Pedal & Drive will be held on Saturday 14th September 2024
The annual Sponsored Ride and Stride is a national event, and every second Saturday in September cyclists and walkers all round the country are out making money for their local county Churches Trust.
The idea started in Aldeburgh in Suffolk over 40 years ago, and consistently Suffolk has headed the table of funds raised. The Ride and Stride is the main source of income to Suffolk Historic Churches Trust to enable it to make grants to churches and chapels of all denominations towards repair and restoration costs.
Ride and Stride is run entirely by volunteers and is inter-denominational, with participants sponsored for each place of worship visited between 9.00am and 5.00pm on Ride and Stride Day or with a donation, regardless of the number of churches visited.
The money raised by each cyclist or walker is shared equally between the Suffolk Historic Churches Trust and the place of worship nominated by the participant.
As important as the participants are the many volunteers who give up the day to man the churches and chapels and sign in the cyclists and walkers as they arrive. Hundreds of places of worship are manned during the day and that takes quite a team of volunteers! It is a real community effort that is the lifeblood of the Trust.
In Suffolk we also hold a Pedal & Drive event on the same day, a car rally for vintage and classic cars.
Photo Galleries from 2023 can be seen on the pages for Ride and Stride and on Pedal and Drive
