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Churches invited to enter awards for outstanding repairs

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) is inviting entries to the prestigious John Betjeman Award for outstanding repairs to the fabric of buildings in use as places of worship in England and Wales.

The award, offered by Britain’s oldest heritage charity, is designed to celebrate excellence and reward the highest level of conservation craftsmanship. Projects completed in the last 18 months are eligible for consideration.

Importantly, the award is always made to a building rather than to an individual or individuals – so this is a chance for faith communities of all denominations to highlight the quality of work completed in their building. In 2010, for example, The SPAB Betjeman Award was presented to Norfolk “gem” St Mary the Virgin at Beeston-next-Mileham, near Swaffham, where sensitive and meticulous repairs to the medieval roof impressed the panel of judges drawn from the world of architectural conservation.

The competition honours the memory of Sir John Betjeman, marking his contribution as a SPAB committee member (1954 –1977). The award takes the form of a unique, inscribed and framed print of Inglesham Church in Wiltshire specially created for SPAB by artist and friend of Betjeman, John Piper.

The competition is open to working places of worship any denomination and is made for a specific repair rather than a general programme of work. Repairs on any scale are eligible but must be to the fabric of the building, or to internal fixed furnishings. Monuments, whether wall-mounted or free-standing, are also eligible as long as they are part of the fabric of the building, along with pulpits, pews and other significant fixed furnishings. The architectural quality of the building is less important than the quality of the repair. It is not essential that the building is listed.

Closing date for entries is 2 March 2012.

Bishop hops aboard to promote environmental campaign

The Bishop of London the Rt Revd Richard Chartres led Church of England environment officers on a Transport for London hybrid bus trip.. The ride was part of the C of E’s continuing commitment to environmental issues, through its Shrinking the Footprint campaign (click HERE for further details).

Delegates from dioceses around the country took the bus tour from Victoria (Westminster Roman Catholic Cathedral) to St Paul’s Cathedral and then on to St Saviour’s Church, Knightsbridge. The new fleet reduces emissions of local pollutants and carbon dioxide by at least 30% compared to conventional diesel buses.

They were briefed about a range of initiatives aimed at lowering the C of E’s carbon footprint, providing best practice examples of how modern environmental methods can work with church buildings.

Bishop Richard, chair of the C of E’s national environmental campaign Shrinking the Footprint spoke of the importance of practical action: “Christians are called on to care for creation, to be stewards of this good Earth for the sake of the common good. But you can’t leave it at the level of rhetoric. We have to actually make sure we are taking some very practical initiatives.”

Queen's Birthday Honours: Knighthood for Stagecoach Chief, OBE for Message Trust Founder

Brian Souther, chief executive of Stagecoach plc, was knighted for services to Transport and the Voluntary Sector, while Andy Hawthorne (picture above) founder and chief executive of The Message Trust, received the OBE for services to Young People in Greater Manchester.

The story behind Andy's award is outlined on the Message Trust's website:

"The honour recognises Andy’s outstanding achievements and service to young people in Greater Manchester for almost 20 years.

to read more click HERE

Church-led Food Banks Feeding 50% More Than Last Year

Some 61,000 people nationwide have received emergency food handouts from Trussell Trust church-led foodbanks in the last 12 months, 50% more than last year.

Foodbank recipients are not the homeless; they are low-income working families who hit crisis, people who have been made redundant or people experiencing benefits delays.

And foodbanks are opening at an unprecedented rate to meet the high demand for emergency food aid: in 2011 The Trussell Trust has launched a new foodbank every week, launching its 100th UK foodbank last week.

to read more please click HERE

David Cameron

Cameron urges Brits not to fight shy of ‘doing God’

JESUS was the founder of the Big Society, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said last week, at a reception in Downing Street.

Speaking to an assembly of about 60 invited guests drawn from Christian organisations, on Wednesday of last week, Mr Cameron remarked: “You’ll all say that our Lord was really dealing with, starting the Big Society two thousand years ago, and you’re absolutely right. I’m not saying we’ve invented some great new idea here.

To read more please click here.

First edition of King James Bible to be auctioned at Bonhams

A first edition of the Authorised King James Bible, which is 400 years old this year, is for sale at Bonhams Printed Books and Manuscripts sale in London on 7 June. It is estimated at between £6,000-8000.Acknowledged as one of the most significant books in the English language, the King James Bible is celebrated for the beauty and majesty of its writing.

Its creation involved nearly 50 translators consulting a wide range of sources including Hebrew and Greek originals, earlier Latin versions, the bibles of Tyndale, Matthew, Coverdale, and Whitchurch, as well as the Bishops' Bible, the Geneva text, and the Rheims New Testament. The copy to be sold carries the following inscription on the inside cover, “This valuable edition was given to me with a large library by my kind uncle the Revd. Robert Rawling in 1794. J.J. Wilkinson. This Bible was given to my son – Thomas Henry Wilkinson, 14 July, 1846, J.J.W.".