Latest figures show that CofE parishes spend £125 million on church building repairs

The latest national summary of the financial position of Church of England parishes covering 2016 has been published by the Church of England Research and Statistics unit.

It shows that in 2016, Church of England parishes spent £196 million on capital works.  64% of capital expenditure in 2016, £125 million, was on repairs to church buildings; new building works accounted for 24% of capital expenditure; the remainder of capital expenditure was spenton repairs to other PCC property.

Capital expenditure fell from 2011 to 2013, since when it has increased.

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In 2016 the total income of Church of England parishes was £1,044 million; the totalexpenditure of Church of England parishes was £1,007 million.

Total income and expenditure have both increased between 2007 and 2016.

Income has exceeded expenditure each year from 2012 onwards.

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English Heritage launches crowdfunding campaign to save castles from weeds – could churches do something similar to help pay for maintenance work?

English Heritage, has appealed through a crowdfunding campaign for public help to tackle deep-rooted, invasive weeds such as ivy and valerian.

It said a donation of £25 could pay for 1 sq metre of invasive vegetation to be removed; £50 could pay for three hours of the stonemasonry needed to conserve walls; and £75 could pay for half a sq metre of stonework to be repointed with bespoke lime mortars.

Rewards being offered range from a car sticker and bookmark for a donation of £4; two places on the “story of the sieges” tour of Carlisle Castle for £100; and the opportunity to fire a first world war anti-aircraft gun off the walls of Dover Castle for £2,500.

English Heritage will spend about £1.9m this year on wall repairs, and wants to raise an extra £50,000 via its castles crowdfunding appeal, part of its #LoveCastles summer season.

Maybe churches could work together on a regional or diocesan basis to raise extra funds for maintenance work such as gutter clearances or tree surgery?

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