Aswe enter the Summer months, Church Buildings' Officer, Mark Carter, offersadvice about what to focus on as you care for your church building.
Take advantage of the long days
Usethe long, sunny days to inspect the building: check rainwater goods and gulleysfor blockages and cracks; inspect windows (the glazing, putty, lead canes andwire ties) and lubricate the moving parts so that they can be opened on thehottest days; and redecorate timber windows, doors, fascias and bargeboard.Remember that permission is required under List B of faculty rules from theArchdeacon via the Church Buildings Team.
Whynot join forces with other churches in your benefice or deanery to share theload, share the costs (if hiring equipment) and share skills and good practice?
Engage with yourchurchyard
Summeris a great time for engaging with the wildlife in your churchyard; creatingwild areas or undertaking recording of species can be great ways of engagingthe wider community with the church.
The Beautiful Burial Ground Project runin partnership with Caring for Gods Acre has some excellentresources and training sessions available. There are some training sessionstaking place in Herefordshire this summer: why not offer to host one inWorcestershire or Dudley? Find out more about the project on theirwebsite: https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/.
Prepare for winter
Takeadvantage of the warmer weather and arrange for heating systems to be draineddown and for boilers to be serviced. Ensure that any work is undertaken byregistered Gas Safe Engineers or NICEIC/NAPIT registered electricians.
Ifyou encounter any issues with the heating systems, do let the Church BuildingsTeam know straight away; permission must be granted for new heating systemsprior to winter.
Pass on the knowledge
Many churchwardens have just enteredoffice: ensure that outgoing wardens pass on all their records to theirsuccessors. It is very important to the future operation of the parishthat those folders lurking in the vestry, the garage or under the bed arepassed on to your successors. Additionally, dont forget all the PDFs and emailthreads that are kept online too. So often maintenance and works aredelayed by gaps in record-keeping.
For guidance on what records to keep,for how long and how best to destroy old records, visit the Church of EnglandLibrary & Archive pages on the following link: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/libraries-and-archives/records-management-guides.
TheChurch Buildings team at the Diocesan Office is always happy to offer advice onmanaging church buildings safely and legally. Please contact us if you have anyconcerns. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) also has agreat Faith In Maintenance calendar with advice on what to do at different timeof the year: https://www.spab.org.uk/sites/default/files/SPAB-FiM-maintenance-calendar.pdf.
