Clergy Training – Churches, churchyards and church grounds

This clergy workshop took place in May 2026. It provided an introduction to: 

• Why it’s important to maintain and repair our church buildings and churchyards/grounds, and who is responsible  

• How the Church of England framework of professional advisers and quinquennial inspections helps – and how to make the most of the system 

• Maintenance by volunteers and by professionals, and when you cross the line from maintenance to repair 

• DAC advice, both formal and informal 

Your Professional Adviser Advice Leaflet 2.

Your Professional Adviser Advice Leaflet 2.

Please read the Hearing Disability Leaflet 9A in conjunction with Advisory Leaflet 9 – Aural and Visual Communication in Churches.

This DAC leaflet covers the Church Property Register (Terrier and Inventory).

Please follow the download link to view.

This page contains an advisory leaflet that gives information on the Equality Act and the responsibility of the PCCs to be able to demonstrate that they have made every reasonable effort to comply with the law. It also contains an article written by Revd Martin King on ensuring that your church is including the hearing disabled.

Ensuring that your church is including the hearing disabled leaflet

Access for people with disabilities leaflet

This advisory leaflet gives information on church textiles.

This advisory leaflet gives information on commissioning stained glass.

This advisory leaflet gives information on planning a noticeboard.

This advisory leaflet gives information on flags.

This advisory leaflet explains the process of electrical wiring and testing.

This advisory leaflet explains how the following aural and visual communication equipment can best be installed in churches:

• Sound reinforcement systems
• Audio visual systems
• Streaming systems
• Closed circuit television systems

Please also read the Hearing Disability Leaflet 9A in conjunction with Advisory Leaflet 9 – Aural and Visual Communication in Churches.

Here you will find a directory of environment resources on a wide range of topics from Land and Nature to Net Zero Carbon.

Environment Resources February 2023-3

Environment Resources June 2023

Environment Resources July 2024

Environment Resources October 2025

Please follow the download link to view.

This advice leaflet gives information on how to make the most of your church building.

Please follow the download link to view.

Please follow the download link to view.

Please follow the download link to view.

1. Information and updates

• Energy Footprint Tool
• Welcome: Sally Ackroyd
• DAC annual report
• VAT and Climate Change Levy overpayments
• A new home sought for Crucifix and Stations of the Cross
• Candle sticks available
• The Church of England: now on WhatsApp
• Hertfordshire Fire Service set up a Christian network

2. Training and Resources

• Top Tips for a successful application to the National Heritage Lottery Fund
• Faculties, List B and how to apply for them
• Clergy training in person – Caring for your church and churchyard, or church garden
• Accessibility – supporting those in ministry and leadership in our churches
• Save The Date – webinar “Decarbonising Churches – Voices of Experience”

3. Environment

• Community Payback – help with maintaining your churchyard
• Living Churchyards
• NEWS: Clifton Churchyard is a County Wildlife Site and is listed as a Flowery Burial Ground
• News from the Diocesan Environment Officer
• External Oil Tanks

4. Maintaining your building

• Recommended monthly tasks

5. Grants and Funding

• National Church Net Zero Carbon Grants

6. Upcoming Events

• Year of the Birds events at Clothall

1. Information and updates

• URGENT UPDATE: Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and future government funding
• New Additional Matters Orders
• Making applications for DAC advice – Faculties and Minor Matters
• Defibrillators
• Hertfordshire Archive and Local Studies (HALS) – new opening times
• Martyn’s Law Briefing Note
• Telecom infrastructure on church buildings
• Churches looking for servers’ albs

2. Training resources

• Accessibility Icons for websites
• Be Prepared & Stay Calm!
• Applying for a National Heritage Lottery Fund grant

3. Environment

• Please act now! Energy Footprint Tool – Footprints for Creation
• Carbon Literacy for Congregations
• Church heating – Your questions answered
• Swift boxes in churches

4. Maintaining your building

• Recommended monthly tasks

5. Grants and Funding

• Receive funding – for free!
• Small Grants for Village Halls – apply now if you fit the criteria!
• Potential Grants for NZC, Biodiversity and Community Projects

6. Good news stories

• St Mary’s Watford switches to green gas – The Diocese of St Albans

7. Upcoming Events

• Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust – A Life in Ruins

1. Information

• New Additional Matters Orders

1. Electric Heating Systems AMO
2. Third-party hiring of churches and halls within faculty jurisdiction AMO and Guidance on Hiring
3. Scaffolding in churchyards AMO
4. St Albans Churchyard Regulations

• Volunteers – stories/photos wanted
• Survey: internet connectivity in churches
• New Faculty Application Fee

2. Training resources

• Carbon Literacy Training – One Day Workshop
• Be Prepared!
• Churchwardens training – Church Buildings and Churchyards

3. Environment

• Broken Heating?
• New Historic England advice on flooding and historic buildings

4. Maintaining your building

• Recommended monthly tasks
• Damp in churches
• Ecclesiastical Insurance Forensic Marking

5. Grants and Funding

• Quick Wins
• Accessibility Grants
• House of good – local

6. Good news stories

• Meppershall celebrates
• Congratulations to St John, Royston

7. Upcoming Events

• • Christmas Tree Festivals

• In this Issue: The theme of this Bulletin is Maintenance and Training.1. Information
  • Richard’s Income Generation Tip of the Month
  • Volunteer Opportunities with BHHCT
  • Explore churches using an App
  • Disability Awareness Sunday
  • Timing of faculty applications
  2. Training and Resources
  • Churchyard Management Training – 23rd October
  • Churchwardens Training – Church Buildings and Churchyards Management (online)
  • National Maintenance Week – November 2025
  • Carbon Literacy Course – 15th December
  • Learning Lunchtimes from the Flourishing Churches Team
  • Choosing a new heating system
  3. Environment
  • Deanery Eco Champions – more still needed!
  • The Living Churchyards Project – can you help?
  • Eco Church Events
  • The GREAT SWITCH for creation
  • Parish Buying Energy Basket
  4. Maintaining your building
  • Recommended monthly tasks
  5. Grants and Funding
  • Minor Repairs & Improvements Grant to re-open for new applications
  • Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants
  6. Good news stories
  • All Saints, Willian
  • The Scaffolding Is Finally Down
  • Ready, steady, go! Thundridge Old Church Tower
  • Cycling for access at Woburn Church
  7. Upcoming Events
  • Fundraising concert – Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust
  • Churches Visitor and Tourism Association

• Visitation services
• Filming in Churches and Churchyards
• Heritage skills for the future
• For sale

• Training: Churchyard Management

• Season of Creation
• Can you help?
• Energy Footprint Tool
• Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grants
• Heating Systems Guidance

• Recommended monthly tasks

• Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme – Update
• Minor Repairs & Improvements Grant – Update
• The Benefact Trust – Important Update
• National Heritage Lottery Fund
• Fundraising idea for your pets?

• Keysoe – flower festival
• Newnham’s annual garden party fundraiser

• Bike and Hike
• Heritage Open Days

• • Volunteer Week

• • DAC Chair

• • Introduction of Seamus McGibbon, Pastoral and Closed Churches Officer

• • Churchyard Regulations

• • The National Churches Survey

• • Martyn’s Law

• • Beware of scammers

• • Free training from the DAC Team: Opening and Using Your Church

• • Churchyard Management workshop – Save the Date

• • Hearing Disability – New DAC Advisory Leaflet 9a

• • Please act now! Upload Energy Footprint Tool data for 2024

• • Eco Champions wanted!

• • Love your Burial Ground Week / Churches Count on Nature

• • Recommended monthly tasks

• • Money Matters Spring 2025

• • Minor Repairs and Improvements Fund

• • Christ Church, Radlett installs solar panels at Vision Hall

• • Carbon Literacy Project at Royston

• • Thanks from Waterford

• • More good news from Waterford: Restoration of the reredos

• BHHCT – Bike & Hike

• Free training from the National Churches Trust
• Spring clean your website!
• Are you open to visitors?
• Emergency Planning
• Workshops with St Albans DAC

• Deanery Eco Champions
• Net Zero Carbon

• Churchyard Regulation survey responses
• Items Available

• Recommended monthly tasks

• Apply for a Conservation Grant
• Living alongside bats in churches grant

• Stevenage, St Andrew and St George: Meeting needs with tea and toast
• Great St Mary’s in Sawbridgeworth: Conservation of monument to Viscount George Hewyt d.1689,

• Flamstead hawk!

• Volunteer Week
• Heritage open days

• Churchwardens’ Training – The Diocesan Website
• Developing a fundraising strategy for your project
• Opening your church to visitors

• Energy Audits
• Broken Heating?
• Churchyard management poster
• Repair it, don’t throw it

• Protecting Built Heritage
• Sale of treasures
• Site visits
• Parish Returns – just for information

• Recommended monthly tasks
• Ecclesiastical Insurance’s monthly risk calendar

• Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (VAT)
• Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Grant
• Minor Repairs & Improvements Grant

• North Mymms double news
• Great news from St Paul’s Bedford

• • AccessAble – Letting disabled visitors know about access in and around your church building

• • Churchwarden training resource page: Taking care of your building contents

• • Supporting hedgehogs and other small animals

• • Heating your church this winter

• • Emergency works – process we follow

• • Applying for List B permission (Archdeacon’s Letter)

• • UK Digital upgrade

• • Church War Memorials

• • Maintenance week

• • Recommended monthly tasks

• • Funding newsletter – is this a link to the last newsletter?

• • Living Alongside Bats in Churches

• • Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

• • National Lottery Awards For All England

• • Benefact Trust – Movement For Good

• Planning for an emergency
• Events and Resources 
• Information
  • How to make your church inclusive
  • What’s special about your church building – Statements of Significance
•  Environment 
  • Do you have pew heaters that aren’t as effective as you think they should be?
  • Churches Eligible for Reduced VAT on Energy
• Maintaining your building
• Grants and Funding 
  • Minor Repairs & improvements Grants and Net Zero Quick Wins
  • Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Scheme

• Events and Resources
• Environment
  • Energy Footprint tool
  • Managing your Churchyard for Wildlife
• Information
  • Quinquennial Inspection Reminder: Why is it so important to my church?
  • New list of free resources
  • External paints on timber, plaster and metal
• Maintaining your building
• Grants and Funding
• Good news stories

• Events and Resources
  • Teatime Tuesdays (5-6pm)
  • Church Maintenance workshop
  • Fundraising training
• Featured DAC advice leaflet
• Free Canva Pro Account
• Environment
  • Energy Footprint tool
• Churchyards
• Maintaining your building
• Grants and Funding

• Events
  • Teatime Tuesdays (5-6pm)
  • Church Maintenance workshop
  • Fundraising training
• Environment
  • Energy Footprint tool
• Grants and Funding
  • Update – National Lottery Heritage Grants
  • ChurchCare Conservation Grants
  • Village Halls Small Grants Fund
  • Minor Repairs & Improvements (MR&I) Grants
• Blog post – Opening your church
• Baroness Brinton on disability and inclusion in the Church and Society
• DAC advice leaflets
• Volunteers week

• Environment
  • Church of England position on Hydrogen
  • Energy Footprint tool
  • Carbon Literacy training
• Church maintenance
  • Quinquennial Inspections
  • Ecclesiastical monthly risk calendar
  • Tasks for winter and early spring
  • VAT repairs – a success story
• Hearing Loops
• Grants and funding

• Heating
• The National Lottery Community Fund

• Caring for your church building
  • Church Maintenance – Winter tasks
  • Grants for heating projects
  • Volunteers doing building work
• Environmental matters – Eco Diocese
• Information
  • How the DAC can help with large scale projects
  • Sharing church buildings

• Information
  • Managing churchyards
  • RAAC
  • Local Authorities can support parish churches
  • Quinquennial Inspections
  • Scaffolding
  • Health and safety
  • Church maintenance – Autumn tasks
  • DAC meetings

• Heating systems
• Churchyard management resources
• Lightning protection
• Heritage crime

This page will guide you through Fire Safety Advice and carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment, as well as fire alarm systems and fire prevention in churches and church halls.

Fire Safety Institution of Fire Engineers Guidance

Fire prevention leaflet 6

Fire alarms leaflet 40

Fire safety leaflet 33