Thanks to National Lottery players, a team of volunteers and professionals – who have worked with more than 200 places of worship over the past six years – will use their expertise and creativity to build sustainable futures for some much-loved and vulnerable buildings.

[quote=Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East]“Places of worship are among our most historic buildings, with so many stories of architectural, social and community heritage behind them.” [/quote]

The Inspired Futures project is led by the Church of England Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham and has just been awarded more than £220,000.

Key points

• Six priority churches will be supported to develop robust business plans, build on fundraising opportunities and explore ways to get local communities involved with their heritage
• A heritage trail will be created to link the six historic buildings and tell the story of Christian heritage in the North East
• Twelve other churches will receive a helping hand and mentoring from the team
• People working in places of worship across the region will have the opportunity to take part in a training and skills programme – from web development to caring for collections

The six priority churches include two on the ‘At Risk’ register, a site dating back to the 9th century and an Arts and Craft movement church noted for its elaborate carved woodwork and exquisite stained glass.