Churches Tourism Association

Unlocking churches in Coventry and Warwickshire - Helen McGowan, the Divine Inspiration project officer shares details of what this project has achieved to date:

"Divine Inspiration is funded by English Heritage and the Diocese of Coventry. It aims to help parish churches in the Diocese of Coventry make lasting connections with visitors to their church buildings. While the definition of a 'tourist' is quite straightforward, the 'visitor' comes in many different guises looking for varied things. A visitor can be a long distance traveller or may have lived in the community for years and never made a visit to the church building on their doorstep. The challenge for any church is to work out how to welcome these people most effectively by sharing their space creatively and telling their story in an interesting and engaging way.

"We are in the middle of a culture change where church buildings have to stop being exhausting places and start being interesting, relevant and useful spaces for their communities and to those who make visits."

 Now part-funded by English Heritage, the initiative will also include a multi-faith project, more work on education, together with the DAC determining a Buildings at Risk Strategy.

Website: divine-inspiration.org.uk

Helen continues: "Many churches in our county are already well visited, like the 'honeypot' churches Holy Trinity in Stratford and St. Mary’s in Warwick, but there are hundreds of other churches that have stories to tell and space to share that are just as interesting and well worth a visit.

"Divine Inspiration” encourages stewards of church buildings to look creatively at how to welcome visitors. Church volunteers are taking a good look at how they use their space, considering how they might be able to be open more regularly and how the Church of England’s greatest asset can be shared creatively with others in and outside of their community.

"Church buildings are no longer just Sunday places. They deserve to be shared more widely, seven days a week in some cases, and they should certainly be open as far as possible. Church buildings are often the only community space available and in past centuries they have been at the centre of parish life. There is no reason why they shouldn't regain that position into the future.

"While none of what we recommend to parishes is rocket science there is an undoubted skill to be learnt in welcoming visitors to our churches, especially if they have no faith or come from different cultures. We have to understand that these buildings are for everyone and not private members clubs. They deserve to be shared by as many people as possible.

"The project is aimed both at potential visitors to churches and at those working to keep churches open. The website has details of 70 participating churches open for visits or tours, whether refreshments and conveniences can be found on site and where you can enjoy some local hospitality nearby. Other visitor destinations in the area are also highlighted along with parking and public transport information.

"Some of the more active parishes have listed forthcoming attractions such as music concerts, festivals, fetes and fundraising activities. Many churches provide home made teas and are conveniently located alongside walking routes and bike trails. All this practical information – and more - can be found on the website.

"Once parishes sign up to the project they are offered a health check called 'You're Welcome!'. The officers act as a critical friend advising the parish group where they might make low/no cost changes to the building and activities. The available capacity in terms of 'people power' and financial resources are always taken into account before recommendations are made. This audit helps the parish to create a unique welcome of their own because every church building and its community is different from the next.

“More than 100 churches in and around Warwickshire are signed up to this initiative, each represented by a named ‘Ambassador’. As the main point of contact to the project this person has access to training and joins a forum of like-minded people all working towards the common aim of making our local churches more accessible and welcoming. Recent training days have concentrated on how to produce good written material, how to survey a churchyard, and how to make a good welcome to visitors. A collaboration with DAC called 'How to Write Better Statements of Significance', has encouragied all parish churches to have a statement in their library.

"Elements of our toolkit and back copies of our monthly newsletter 'The Gatekeeper' are available from our website. Please follow the Ambassadors page to find a comprehensive list of downloadable resources."

Visit the website here: divine-inspiration.org.uk

Contact: Helen McGowan 0247652 1346 for further information

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