Opinion: Why should we care about Suffolk's churches?

Matthew Arnold’s 1867 poem, Dover Beach, describes the decline, as he saw it, of faith. Subsequent religious revivals, including here in Suffolk, suggest a more complex trend. But it is true that over the last 50 years or so, many churches in the county have reported declining congregations, with quite a few closing altogether.

Churches cost a lot to keep going, says Fiona (Image: Historic England) It is estimated that 3500 churches have closed nationwide over the last decade, with most ending up as private homes.

Many congregations find the burden of managing what is frequently in whole or part a Listed Building just too much. Others, understandably, feel rather frustrated that a focus on fundraising for new roofs and internal improvements comes at the cost of more faith-based activities.

Given everything else going on in society, should this really matter to most people?

Well, a report from the National Churches Trust (NCT) called ‘The House of Good’ would suggest that our communities have much to gain from the imaginative ongoing use of churches – not least in boosting health outcomes.

The report looks at the impact of the very many social support services that are provided on church campuses. It estimates that the cost relief of just four such services – youth clubs, drug and alcohol addiction support, mental health counselling and food banks – offer cost relief of £8.4 billion per year.

In other words, if the churches were not open for such uses, then the NHS would have to find a vast additional annual sum from its own budgets.

But the full range of activities hosted by churches is much greater than this, including community activities and support groups which result in physical and mental health benefits for both participants and volunteers, as well as providing space – usually free or at below ‘market rate’ – for the direct provision of NHS services.

Hadleigh United Reformed Church, located just off the town’s market place, is something of an exemplar in this regard.

Hadleigh United Reformed Church hosts so much for the community, says Fiona, including the Ansell Centre (Image: Newsquest) Built in 1832, the campus hosts not only the fine classical church itself with its many rooms, but the Ansell Centre dating from the same time. Both buildings are used by a wide range of organisations, including a dementia-friendly lunch club, an elderly peoples’ welfare group, the Hadleigh Choral Society, majorettes and yoga classes!

But the report argues that more can be done to boost this already significant contribution by better integrating churches into the provision of health services, especially those known as ‘social prescribing’.

Some of this work is already happening involving a more strategic and long-term partnership between churches and social prescribing teams.

In the meantime, it is vital that more churches are kept open.

Here at the Suffolk Preservation Society, we very much endorse the NCT’s ‘Every Church Counts’ six-point plan to save church buildings. It recommends that the Government actively encourages local councils and the NHS to engage with faith groups, make more use of church buildings to host public and community services and help upgrade facilities where needed.

One particularly practical way for this to happen would be to invite faith group representatives onto the boards and/or forums of town centre area action plans, heritage action plans and the like.

Equally, local councils and the NHS need to sign up to The Faith Covenant which provides a framework to promote open, practical working.

Such a framework should help boost mutual understanding and should encourage and incentivise the use of longer leases of buildings to community groups, charities, and local councils. 

For example, Hadleigh United Reformed Church has a long-term agreement with Babergh District Council to use its Old School as a homelessness reception centre. 

All of which goes to show, that the interests of preservation of some of our historic buildings and positive health outcomes are very much linked. Keep the faith!