Marsh Awards for Innovative Church Projects 2017

Nominations for the Marsh Awards for Innovative Projects 2017 are now open. They are looking for the Christian congregations running the most innovative community activities in a church building, made possible through the installation of new facilities.

Now in its second year, ‘The Marsh Awards for Innovative Church Projects’ is a competition to find the Christian congregations running the most innovative community activities in a church building, made possible through the installation of new facilities such as meeting spaces, kitchens, toilets or improved access.

 Run by the National Churches Trust in partnership with the Marsh Christian Trust, the Awards are designed to illustrate the positive impact that installing new facilities can have on churches and local communities and on harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of volunteers.

Open to any Christian congregation in the UK which is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and which has seen the installation of new facilities between 2012 and 2016.

The judges will be looking for

• Impact – the level of demonstrable social benefit
• Best practice in management of the project
• Imagination – origin of the idea and reasons for the project
• Need – how deprived or marginalised communities are served by the project.

Nominations have to be in by 13 January 2017. The winners will be announced on 18 May 2017 at the Churches Trust Forum annual Conference in Manchester.

And if you want to be inspired, have a look at the 2016 Winner which was St Andrew’s Church in Blagdon which had created Space@St Andrew’s,  a space at the back of the church which now hosts a multitude of activities, ranging from Wi-Fi Wednesday to Monday Mix, and Prayers and Bears, a toddler group all made possible by the creation of a the new community space with toilets, kitchen and a mezzanine floor.