National Churches Trust Award(s) 2025 October 21 at the V&A
The Awards were preceded by the Great Expectations seminar on preserving Churches, which featured St Peter & St Paul as a backdrop to various speakers. The event can be watched in full at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7fyRQWbDgzd_f5PhNPB0JFr3vB0OvkJD
One of the many speakers with St Peter & St Paul featured as a backdrop.
And then the Awards Ceremony:
So – we won!
Twice!
The National Churches Trust Church and Community Volunteers Award for England. And then, announced, by the Director of the V&A, that we had gone on to win the overall UK Church of the Year. Stunned – but so pleased.
THE WINNERS REVEALED
There are four winners of the Church and Community Volunteer Awards (in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust) and one Church of the Year, chosen from those winners.
Church of the Year. 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.
Plus, winner in England for the Church and Community Volunteer Awards.
Winner: St Peter & St Paul, Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire
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. The National Churches Trust – October 2025
Steve Lumb, PCC Chairman & Co-ordinator of the Friends of St Peter & St Paul, said:
Winning both the English and the National Best Church Award at the V&A has been a stunning and deeply affirming moment for us. It recognises the extraordinary efforts our small rural community has made to rescue and sustain, John of Gaunt’s Church, in Old Bolingbroke.
An historic and beautiful space, that after 600 years can’t be allowed to just crumble away. We face a national heritage crisis in terms of our Parish churches with dwindling congregations. We need new vision and investment. Here in Old Bolingbroke, we are trying to do just that, make the building relevant again, vibrant and outward facing. Guided tours, festivals, music, quiet contemplation, history, weddings, funerals, big carol services, pop up pubs, a Brides of Bolingbroke weekend, churchyard working parties, BBQ’s and yes a prayer group and occasional services, including for pets! The community comes through the door like nothing before and we have attracted grants and investment.
The Awards shine a light on what’s possible when communities dare to act. These buildings are not just churches but fantastic community assets that cannot be lost. We’ve shown that the future of historic parish churches lies in hands of local people. We realised some years ago that the cavalry was not coming over the hill and so we acted. Our precious building looks ahead to the next 600 years. Start with a vision and a “why”, not just a : “we need to fix the roof”.
Find a beautiful film about the church, their heritage, story and welcome to all here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfg3cp1tTas
Come and visit our historic church, next to Bolingbroke Castle and see our exhibitions about Henry Bolingbroke and the English civil war in Lincolnshire. Also our restored former gas house (by the church gates) and learn more about Old Bolingbroke it’s community and it’s heritage. Any financial support you might also offer keeps this historic church alive. There is still much to do.
Our September concert featured:
“A Story of Gilbert and Sullivan” – A Fun Musical Journey through the Savoy Operas
The event was a great success with over 100 attendees
Starring Tim Hurst-Brown as George Grossmith with Peter Hewitt at the Piano
Show Title: A Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
Starring: Tim Hurst-Brown as George Grossmith and Peter Hewitt at the Piano
Date and Time: [Saturday 20th September 7.00pm for 7.30pm]
Venue: [St Peter & St Paul – Old Bolingbroke Church]
Proceeds supported the Organ restoration Fund.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Church-Castle-Community is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support the essential emergency repairs to St Peter and St Paul’s Church, a Listed Building and currently on the Heritage at Risk Register.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Church-Castle-Community is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support the essential emergency repairs to St Peter and St Paul’s Church, a Listed Building and currently on the Heritage at Risk Register.
Project update! The project is now complete. We now have a weather proof North aisle with new slate roof, new hand-blown glazing, significant amounts of repaired stonework and refurbished guttering and drainage on both north and south sides to keep the building dry.
Additional stonework is now being carried out on the South Side thanks to a grant from the Lincoln Diocese.
News!
Our summer concert for 2024 featured the renowned harpist Eira Lynn Jones. A sell-out audience enjoyed this special performance.
Eira is originally from Wales, and for many years was based in the Northwest. She was Principal Harpist with Northern Ballet and is a regular player with the Hallé Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Opera North and the BBC Philharmonic. As a teacher, she was Head of Harp at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and has directed workshops in Iceland, Greece, U.S.A. and South Africa. As a composer, she is inspired by the stories around her, from medieval tales to contemporary themes. She was chosen as composer for Illumine Theatre’s audio drama Tremolo, which raises the issue of genetic testing related to early onset dementia. Her Sunken Forest Suite recalls the Welsh legend of the land lost beneath the sea, and links it to the rising sea levels of today.
“… a diversity of harp music, a very accomplished technique, and your heart coming through” Alan Stivell
Alongside her classical playing, she appeared on Coronation Street, arranging Oasis’ iconic song Wonderwall for a wedding scene. She has performed for the then HRH Prince Charles in Spain, appeared on Songs of Praise and has released several CDs.
Recently relocating to Lincolnshire, Eira is passionate about bringing the harp into the community: not only to bring this unusual instrument to centre stage, but to connect the music with the history, culture, and landscape of this county.
Previous outreach projects include directing an ensemble of 12 harpists to perform under Dippy the Dinosaur at the Natural History Museum. A cross-border digital film project with harpists from different countries gave them an opportunity to perform, when so many performances were cancelled during the pandemic. In March 2024 she will collaborate with Dance Syndrome, a multi-award-winning inclusive dance charity giving opportunities to people with Downs Syndrome.
The programme for this unique evening at Old Bolingbroke Church on the 8th June showcased the magical and diverse repertoire for the harp. A popular classic, Debussy’s atmospheric Clair de Lune, will be heard alongside Celtic music from Scotland and a Louis Armstrong jazz standard.
It was also be the premiere of a new work by British composer Martin Ellerby, who has strong links to the area. Lindsey Dances portrays different Lincolnshire landmarks: Steep Hill – Bolingbroke – Tattershall – Gibraltar Point – The Stump. It is a musical celebration of a county that itself has hidden stories. Eira will then travel to different locations during the year and perform the piece for that community. But it all started at Old Bolingbroke!
“ … fabulous! One of the most engaging concerts I’ve ever heard. It had beauty, drama, sadness and joy. All played with complete control and conviction”. Harp on Wight Festival Review.
The Friends of St Peter & St Paul was successful in obtaining a National Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £222,779 for major repairs to the North Aisle and to undertake a number of heritage activities in partnership with Heritage Trust Lincolnshire. This grant has been supplemented by a £20,000 grant from the Marshalls Charity and a £5,500 grant from the Headley Trust. The construction work began in Summer 2024, with activities taking place throughout the year, including a Village Heritage Trail and Hardhat tours.
We also obtained a £114,000 grant from UK Shared Prosperity Fund & Rural Prosperity Fund for the renovation of the Gas House, (the original Georgian one room schoolhouse located adjacent to the main Churchyard gate). The renovated building provides a flexible exhibition space and a possible future venue for a village small business.
In addition to our regular events, the Church is used as a venue for a range of special events.
Join us for one of our special events held several times during the year:
Special events include music concerts (always sold out), the Lincolnshire Wolds and Coast Churches Festival in September, Bell Ringing Guild events and periodic Coffee & Cake gatherings.
Friends of Old Bolingbroke Church 