Help protect your church from heritage crime
Published: 27th February 2026West Mercia Police’s Heritage Watch Scheme can help churches protect themselves against heritage crime.
News
Piloting the new Buildings Management Portal
Published: 26th February 2026Our diocese has been chosen as one of four dioceses to pilot the new Buildings Management System (BMP) to be launched this year.
Work begins to restore the spire at St Peter's Church in Bengeworth
Published: 19th February 2026Scaffolding will be going up on the spire at St Peter’s Church in Bengeworth next Tuesday as work begins to repair the spire. Built in 1873, the spire has been significantly affected by weather over the years and will now need to be partially dismantled and rebuilt to ensure it remains safe for many more years.
Great Malvern Priory celebrates National Lottery grant
Published: 21st November 2025Great Malvern Priory has been awarded almost £700,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to conserve its unique collection of English Medieval stained-glass windows and improve facilities for visitors.
November & December Church Maintenance Tips
Published: 17th November 2025Your guide to maintenance jobs in your church during November and December from the Church Buildings Team.
Bromsgrove Spire restoration completed
Published: 30th October 2025The long-awaited restoration of the landmark spire at St John’s Church in Bromsgrove has been completed, with the re-gilded weathervane cockerel returning to its lofty perch to enjoy the view for decades to come,
Martyn's Law
Published: 13th October 2025Diocesan Director of Church Buildings, Mark Carter, offers an update on Martyn's Law (The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025).
Elmley Castle Bells to be restored
Published: 11th September 2025The bells at Grade 1 listed Elmley Castle Church in the Bredon Hill Group are being restored after the project group was successful in securing almost £120,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
What makes a good Church Noticeboard?
Published: 10th September 2025A number of our churches have applied to the Kingdom People Fund for a grant to replace their external church noticeboards. Here are a few pointers on how to make your church noticeboard as effective as possible.
Church Buildings Team visit spire works at St John's Bromsgrove
Published: 20th August 2025The Diocesan Church Buildings Team recently visited St John's church in Bromsgrove where works are underway to replace, restore and repoint parts of its Spire.
The online faculty system is changing
Published: 26th June 2025The online faculty system which all churches use to request permission to repair or make changes to their buildings under the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules is being upgraded to a new Building Management Portal.
Evaluation of Listed Places of Worship VAT Grant Scheme
Published: 28th February 2025The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has commissioned research on the repair and maintenance of historic places of worship. If your church is listed, please complete a short survey.
St John's spire repair begins
Published: 24th February 2025Restoration works to the iconic spire of St John's Church in Bromsgrove have officially begun. This marks the start of the Spire Appeal Project, a restoration project made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
St James' Church, Eve Hill, Dudley
Published: 13th February 2025Although St James’ Church in Dudley has recently been declared redundant, its dedicated congregation members are determined to keep the memories and the fellowship alive. Former members of the Local Church Council have spoken about how their church always had a family feel and some of the things they will miss.
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme extended
Published: 24th January 2025The Government has confirmed a further year’s extension to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, though with a new claim cap of £25,000 per place of worship.
Bishop Martin calls for extension to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
Published: 16th December 2024Bishop Martin is calling for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to be extended past the current deadline of March 2025. He has written to local MPs setting out the difference that the scheme makes to our churches.
Coming off the At Risk Register
Published: 11th December 2024When Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register was published last month, four of our churches had been taken off, thanks to the hard work of those who care for them with the support of the diocesan Church Buildings Team.
St. Wulstan’s Flourishing as Family and Community Focused Church
Published: 27th November 2024St. Wulstan’s Church, Worcester, has undergone a transformation since the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, evolving into a thriving, inter-generational community.
Great Witley Church launches Crowdfunding Appeal
Published: 16th October 2024Great Witley Church has launched a crowdfunding appeal through Spacehive and Crowdfund Malvern Hills (for match funding) to improve the driveway access to this special church.
Top Church showcases Digital Tour as part of Heritage Open Days
Published: 12th September 2024Top Church (St Thomas & St Luke’s Church) held a heritage Open Day on Saturday 7th September to showcase their innovative Digital Tour which aims to share the history of the church and the role it has played in supporting the residents of Dudley.
Latest News
Change of Umbrella Body for Processing DBS Checks
5th March 2026
An update from the safeguarding team about DBS checks following the APCS data breach last year. As a diocese, we will shortly be moving to ThirtyOne:Eight for diocesan checks and parishes are invited to also register with this umbrella body.