Old Bolingbroke replicates Aslackby's success in 2024
by winning The National Churches Trust 2025
Church & Community Volunteer Award
AND Church of the Year awards

The National Churches Trust - formerly the Historic Churches Preservation Trust - has been in existence since 2007 - its aim to

"promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community value across the UK"

within this it sees its biggest role as

"Protecting church heritage for the future is our biggest challenge"

2025 Church and Community Volunteer Awards

"From food banks to credit unions, churches across the UK provide a growing list of essential services for people in urgent need. The volunteer awards centre around the contribution that volunteers make to both caring for and making best use of churches, and especially using churches to reach out to local communities and using the building as a hub for activity."

Run on a country basis - England produced 6 finalists - two from Lincolnshire - Old Bolingbroke and Winterton. As part of their submission the churches were asked "What is your star community activity?"

Old Bolingbroke response

"Overall, the ability to bring everyone from the entire community into the church at some point during the year - the sheer range of diverse activities. If we had to choose one then the "Brides of Bolingbroke" wedding dresses event with a service."

"Steve Lumb, project coordinator at Old Bolingbroke and a bell ringer there himself, said, " in going for this award, we explained the massive contribution that our bell ringing team made to sustaining the church and bringing in learners, continuing the craft. The judges saw this as such a positive and another example of making the church relevant and needed".

Winterton response

"The Community Kitchen set up in 2024 offers free meals, prepared in our kitchen, for our community on one day each week. Donations are invited from all those who can afford them. We have also offered packed lunches to children in the school holidays."

Longhope (Gloucestershire - population 1500) another England finalist

"Our proudest achievement is raising £62,000 in just 18 months to restore our crumbling bell tower. It was a true act of community engagement, donations, cake sales, and confetti-filled AGMs - all to hear our bells ring with joy once more."

Having won the Church and Volunteers award for England - Old Bolingbroke had but little time to celebrate before being named

The National Churches Trust - Church of the Year

Described as - "The pinnacle award that celebrates a church that fulfils its potential and makes a mark on its community and beyond. It's a shining example of a sustainable church - one that is relevant, looked after, in use and open for all."

Awarding the prize, the judges praised St Peter & St Paul in Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire, for its outstanding example of what a small rural church can achieve through energy, imagination, and community spirit.

"In a village of just 350 people, volunteers have transformed their beautiful historic church into a thriving hub of local life. The team's creativity is remarkable - from pet services and pop-up pubs to concerts, talks, and heritage events linked with the nearby castle - all helping to bring new people in and make the church 'hugely relevant again.'"

The judges admired how the community came together to care for both the building and the people it serves, combining heritage restoration with genuine outreach. They particularly noted the church's ethos of self-reliance - a group of twenty to thirty supporters determined not to wait for others to act, but to take the future into their own hands.

In the words of one panel member, it "has it all - history, heritage, community, and heart" - a model of how a small rural church can be enterprising, inclusive, and deeply rooted in local life."


Copyright MaddMann Photography - printed with permission

Volunteers from Old Bolingbroke, collecting their plaque for winning for England in the Church & Community Volunteer Awards
L-R: Nick Carter (Marsh Charitable Trust), Sir Philip Rutnam (National Churches Trust), Peter Jones, Alison Marris, Judy Lumb, Steve Lumb

Article submitted by Keith Butter