The National Church Awards – the ‘BAFTAs for churches’ – revealed the 15 UK winners and the UK Church of the Year in a prestigious ceremony held on Tuesday afternoon, October 22, in the ancient Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral. Tundergarth Parish Church (near Lockerbie) took to the stage to pick up both the Scottish Church Tourism Award and the UK Church Tourism Award, as the overall winner.
The awards were co-presented by the new Dean of Lincoln, Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, and Canon Ann Easter, former Chaplain to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Around 200 churches were nominated this year from across the UK, from which a judging panel selected the 55 finalists and 15 winners across five categories, with several awards reserved for churches in the four home nations.
Back in August churches were invited to nominate their buildings for achievements in conservation, tourism and volunteer work. Nominations were welcomed from churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK, which are currently open for worship, with all denominations invited to take part. Two new award categories were introduced this year: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lord Cormack Award for Public Service.
The 55 finalists show the diversity of churches in the UK, in terms of buildings, the work they do and the people who use them. There’s St Ethelbert in Laring, situated in Norfolk farmland, with heating provided by a woodburning stove and lighting from oil lamps. Redeemer Central, in the city of Belfast, gathers a diverse group of people to share food every Friday night at The Long Table. Tundergarth Parish Church, near Lockerbie, Scotland, has become a place of pilgrimage for many around the world because of its connection to the Pan Am 103 tragedy in 1988. And, St Nefydd & St Mary, in North Wales, is caring for nature with their cleverly named ‘Swifties Tours’ to support these birds on the Red List of conservation concern.
Lincoln Cathedral’s Chapter House saw 100 people gather for the awards, with a further 250 live streams via YouTube from across the UK, with many church groups organising parties to watch the ceremony together.
At the ceremony, host Canon Ann Easter detailed the history of the church: “What makes Tundergarth Parish Church truly unique is its connection to the Pan Am 103 tragedy in 1988. The nose cone of the aeroplane landed just across the road, and the church has become a place of pilgrimage for many around the world. The judges were very impressed and touched by what the church has done to create this place of memorial.”
The site is a 1900 Gothic former Church of Scotland and the ruins of a 1771 Celtic Kirk.
In revealing this church as the UK tourism winner, the Very Revd Dr Simon Jones added: “This one is really special. Rarely does an event have a truly global impact on a very small community. I’m going to read from their nomination: ‘On 21 December 1988 a terrorist bomb exploded onboard Pan Am flight 103, a passenger airliner flying from London to New York. Of the 270 victims, 104 of those fell to earth in the immediate vicinity of Tundergarth Kirk. The church was used as a staging post for emergency responders, three of the victims are buried in the kirkyard and year after year people make a pilgrimage to the kirk to remember those who died. We are a warm and welcoming space for all to remember and pay tribute.’”
In their initial submission, this church explained why being open was important to them: “Our board members each hold personal connections to the site; those relating to faith, family, home and the PanAm 103 attack. Keeping the site open is paramount to our mission to afford others the chance to experience all that the site has to offer. Our commitment to preserving Tundergarth Church is not just about maintaining a building but nurturing a living legacy that intertwines faith, history and a unique role in global memory.”
The judges were impressed that amidst stories of church closures from across the UK, volunteers here are working hard to keep the building open. Tundergarth Kirks Trust was formed to take ownership of the church and keep it open as a place of worship when funding was withdrawn. It is testament to the resilience of the community as well as the remembrance of disaster.
The volunteers have great plans for a museum, and a recent episode of ‘The Repair Shop’ was filmed here. The judges hope that this award will help them on their way to do even more.
Speaking at the ceremony, Michael Thompson, Treasurer at Tundergarth Kirk’s Trust said: “This is a humbling award. We work hard in the trust, not only to keep our wee kirk open but also to continue to ensure the innocent victims of the UK’s biggest-ever terrorist attack are never forgotten. This award reinforces that we are carrying out valued work and providing a place of pilgrimage and solace for so many people across the world.”
Also winning for Scotland, in the Church and Community Volunteer Awards, was Dalmilling’s St Quivox, Ayrshire.
Also honoured in Scotland were four further finalists:
In the Church Tourism Awards: Eriskay’s St Michael in South Uist.
In the Church Volunteer Awards: Hamilton’s St Mary the Virgin, South Lanarkshire and Musselburgh Congregational Church, East Lothian.
For the Friends Award: Redeemed Christian Church of God King of Glory, Edinburgh.
The awards, now in their third year, are organised by the National Churches Trust and have been inspired this year by the work of the late Lord Patrick Cormack, a champion of church buildings, who dedicated his life to helping to keep the UK’s churches open and in use. A Lifetime Achievement award has been added in Lord Cormack’s honour for 2024, to recognise an individual (or group) which has dedicated time, care and love for more than 25 years towards a particular place of worship.
Lord Cormack’s family were honoured guests at the ceremony, and his granddaughter Katie Cormack was among the judging panel.
In tandem with the ceremony, a National Church Awards Visitor Your Finalist Day on Saturday 23 November will open the doors, quite literally, to the public, with people invited to visit churches close to home that have been awarded finalist status. This will include finalists from all previous years to give a wide geographic spread across the UK of over 100 outstanding churches, chapels and meeting houses open to visitors. Full details of this event are on the National Churches Trust Website at nationalchurchestrust.org/openday
At the close of the awards, Richard and Charles Cormack (sons of Lord Cormack) and Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust, revealed the overall winner – Church of the Year – as St James the Great, in the village of Aslackby, near Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
Previous winners of the Church of the Year show the variety of churches these awards recognise. The 2023 Church of the Year was St Marylebone, in London. In 2022 this award went to St Macartan (The Forth Chapel), Augher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Now, a 14th-century rural church in Lincolnshire, St James the Great in Aslackby, is recognised, a building representative of so many churches in the UK.
Now in their third year, the awards are organised by the National Churches Trust in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust and the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association.
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, explained why the awards matter so much to her:
“The UK’s churches are of huge historical and cultural significance. They are heritage that belongs to all of us. Over two thirds of UK adults agree that churches are a vital part of the UK’s heritage and history, and more than half of UK adults visited a church, chapel or meeting house last year. Our vision is that church buildings across the UK are well maintained, open to everyone, sustainable and valued. Helping churches, chapels and meeting houses to open up and attract visitors is one way to help give these buildings a sustainable future and helps to safeguard their heritage and history. I hope people will celebrate all the finalists and take part in Visit Your Finalist Day on Saturday 23 November.”
TAKE PART IN “VISIT YOUR FINALIST DAY” SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER
On Saturday 23 November, a National Church Awards Visitors’ Day will open the doors, quite literally, to the public, with people invited to visit churches close to home that have been awarded finalist status. This will include finalists from all previous years to give a wide geographic spread across the UK of over 100 outstanding churches, chapels and meeting houses open to visitors.
Visit the National Churches Trust Website for full details of the awards and Visit Your Finalist Day at nationalchurchestrust.org.
