A PROJECT to preserve historic churches across the region through heritage conservation work and wider community use is approaching the second phase.

Earlier this year, the Church of England Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham launched Inspired Futures, a scheme to develop cultural and conservation opportunities in churches, while improving access to these historic buildings.

The aim was to help churches become more sustainable and play a greater role in the communities they serve by identifying additional uses for the buildings and the improvements needed for this to happen.

Inspired North East –a support scheme set up by the two dioceses for the project- received backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund, including a development grant of £40,500 to progress the plans.

Since then, the team has been working with 18 churches across County Durham, Darlington and Tyne and Wear to investigate opportunities to ensure the buildings’ futures.

The next phase will see Inspired North East choose six of the churches to work more closely with, while continuing to support the other buildings in whatever ways it can.

Andrew Duff, project co-ordinator, said: “All of the churches we have been working with have been so enthusiastic project and have come up with so many ideas. It’s unleashed a wave of creativity.

“We will continue to support and advise all 18 churches but the next phase will see more detailed plans created for six of them.”

He continued: “It’s all about creating sustainable futures for these buildings. They are places of worship but they have the potential to be more widely used within the community, for arts and cultural events for example.

“You tend to find church buildings which are more widely used for a range of community purposes tend to be in better condition, as more people have an interest in them and share the costs of keeping them going.

“A lot of rural villages are losing their community centres, shops and pubs. Churches could help fill these gaps.”

The churches involved in the scheme are: St Edmund’s, Sedgefield; St Cuthbert’s, Darlington; St Chad’s Bensham; St Cuthbert’s, Haydon Bridge; Our Lady, Delaval; St Thomas’, Haymarket, Newcastle; St Andrew’s, Bishop Auckland; St Cuthbert’s, Billingham; St Michael’s, Heighington; St Thomas’, Stockton; St John’s, Darlington; St Oswald’s, Hartlepool; St Cuthbert’s, Elsdon; St Mary and St Michael’s, Doddington; St Michael’s, Alhnam; Christ Church, Shieldfield, Newcastle; St Augustine’s, Alston; and St Margaret’s Scotswood.

For more information about the project, visit inspirednortheast.org.uk