Items filtered by date: December 2015
The Cathedral & Church Buildings Department’s expanded £5million conservation grants programme is now open for applications at Conservation Grants.
If you have a conservation project in mind relating to bells and bell frames, books and manuscripts, church plate, churchyard structures, clocks, monumental brasses and decorative metalwork, monuments, organs, paintings and wall paintings. stained glass, textiles or wooden objects, you can now include related fabric repairs up to a maximum of £25k.
An example might be a PCC looking to conserve an alabaster sculpture in a niche where there is existing water ingress due to a building defect adversely affecting the area. As part of the application for money to conserve the sculpture, a request for additional monies to rectify that defect can now be considered.
You will be familiar with our conservation grants programme (long funded by The Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust and other funders) to support the conservation of special features in church, including bells, clocks, organs, stained glass, wall paintings and monuments. All this remains, with additional funding to help more churches. The expanded programme allows us to make grants towards building repairs of up to £25,000 that are linked to the conservation of an object.
Bids for specialist surveys and help for existing recipients’ conservation projects to reach completion will be considered for funding as well.
For further information, please contact colleagues in CCB via conservationgrants@churchofengland.org
2025
Conservation Reports
rolling deadline - 2 week response time
Monuments, Textiles, Wooden Objects, Books & Manuscripts, Church Plate, Curchyard Sytructures, Monumental Brasses and Decorative Metalwork
13 October 2025 - decision by 28 November 2025
Organs and organ cases
2026 dates to be confirmed
2026
Paintings & Wall Paintings
5 January 2026 - Decision by 20 February 2026
Bells and Bell Frames
26 January 2026 - Decision by 13 March 2026
Stained Glass
23 February 2026 - Decision by 10 April 2026
Clocks
16 March 2026 - Deceision by 1 May 2026
Justin Thacker was ordained at a special ordination service at Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Chesterfield, in July. He writes:
"I’ve done quite a lot of different things in my life. My first career was as a medical doctor. I trained in paediatrics and worked in East Africa for a time. While in Kenya, I sensed God calling me to leave medicine and become an academic theologian. Apart from some stints working for global justice charities, that is what I have mainly done since then.
"Most recently, I’ve been working in an Anglican theological college training, amongst others, Church of England ordinands. It was somewhat of a surprise then when I sensed another call in my life – this time to ordination myself. I had always felt that my strengths were in academic theology and teaching, especially around issues of ethics and justice. But God, as he so often does, had other plans. I’m now incredibly excited about what the future holds.
"Following ordination, I will be working half-time as a curate in Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Chesterfield, and half-time continuing in my academic role for St Hild College. Fundamentally, what made me make this leap was God’s call. It was just a niggle that wouldn’t go away. Through various gentle prompts, I just sensed that God had one more big adventure for me and parish ministry was it. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what my ministry will look like. I’ve learnt that there is little point in second-guessing God and I suspect he often laughs at the plans we construct.
"I hope that my ministry will involve some work with those who are marginalised, especially the homeless and those with addiction issues (as that is where my recent experience and passion lies), but the truth is I just want to serve God in whatever way God wants. He, after all, know how best I can serve the kingdom, and I’d be a fool to do anything else.
Justin's ordination follows the ordination of four other deacons earlier this month. You can see photos of both ordination services on our Flickr pages.
Is God stirring something in you?
All of us are invited to follow Jesus and to serve God faithfully in our everyday lives. To discover more about what this might mean for you, please see our Everyday Faith page. Alongside our everyday faith, some people are called to serve God in a specific ministry. You can find out more about that on our vocations page.
‘And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations’ Revelation 22: 2
We are launching our Harvest appeal for this year in time for harvest season between September and October, and invite you to join us as we return to Bujumbura in Burundi to help fund Trees for Peace, supporting integrated environmental restoration and community peacebuilding.
>> Resources to support our parishes work
The story so far
In 2023 the dioceses Derby and Bujumbura worked together in a ‘Trees for Life’ programme helping local people in the hills round Bujumbura city plant trees to protect their local homesteads from mudslide damage caused by climate change related flooding.
The work was transformative – 240 people were trained in agroforestry, nearly 65000 seedlings were planted along the hills’ contour lines, 16 self help groups were set up, which provided training in group governance, financial literacy, and savings mechanisms. And the hillsides are already more stable than they were. But important lessons have been learned, and there is more to do.
What now?
Whilst tree planting was primarily to prevent floodwaters from washing away huge ravines in the farmland, this shared enterprise also saw former enemies begin to make friends.
Burundi is a country where ethnic and political differences have often spilled over into violence. There is particular concern at the present time. The church, gifted in Christ with the ministry of reconciliation, now seeks to emphasise standing with local communities in sowing seeds of peace and reconciliation through practical, local community service – known as Ibikorwa Rusangi.
The value of working together for climate resilience is all the greater as strong bonds are built locally between people who never previously spoke to each other. Memories of trauma and violence are recent – there are those who would exploit this to turn people against one another again, especially at times of elections. But there is much that can be done.
Young people who have learned to make a living by setting up small businesses selling and planting trees are less likely to be recruited into gangs or be exploited for political violence. Older people have seen enough poverty, violence, and environmental damage in their time to make them eager to support the church’s work in bringing people together to improve life chances for families living in Bujumbura Rural. Mothers with children to bring up are motivated to organise in self help groups to set up small businesses geared both towards creating incomes and improving agriculture. They don’t want to see their children fall prey to those seeking to manipulate the young.
Planting trees together is planting for the future, and for peace. This focus on environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and peacebuilding is good news for the people of these communities of Gisovu, Nyamaboko, Buhina, and Kabumba
What do we hope to fund?
Actions to be funded by the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal 2025:
Environmental Restoration:
- Climate and land degradation awareness training
- Eight nurseries for producing native agroforestry tree saplings
- 4,000m of contour lines dug prepared for planting
Economic Empowerment:
- More self-help groups – to engage 400 members
- Training in financial literacy, savings, and leadership
- Microloan systems set up to support income generating
Peacebuilding:
- Intergenerational dialogue groups
- Memory and Hope trauma-sharing workshops
- Tree planting and soil restoration as tools for reconciliation
- A Community Peace Committee established for each hill
- Training for community leaders in conflict mediation, de-escalation, and early warning systems
- Disseminate peace messaging in run up to electoral period
- Train and deploy two ‘Youth Peace Brigades’ -
- To host debates, art competitions promoting peaceful coexistence
- To Develop radio programs on youth and peace
- Facilitate dialogue circles for women in self-help groups
- Ensure women are to the fore in Community Peace Committees
- Offer workshops on inclusive governance and women’s civic engagement.
Why us?
Since the Lambeth Conference, Bishop’s Libby and Malcolm have met with Bishop Eraste of Bujumbura to share and pray about each other’s ministry. As followers of Jesus, we seek to promote peace with God and with one another. As children of a creator, we seek to care for God’s beautiful and precious world. This project connects so closely with what we are trying to do in our diocese, our desired outcomes and priorities – especially around service, justice, and ‘going greener’. Centred on Jesus, who offered his life on a tree for the salvation of us all, this project demonstrates the love of God in practical action.
What can I do?
- First – please speak to others about the programme, and decide what your church or community can do to get involved.
- Check out the creative resources for schools and churches.
- Plan symbolically to plant a tree somewhere locally to symbolise our support for this initiative, showing that trees both here and there address climate change. Think how supporting this tree planting initiative reduces your own carbon footprint.
- Join in local initiatives where you live that integrate building community with protecting the environment.
- Give via our Give a Little account or directly to the Diocese of Derby - by cheque or bank transfer (please indicate that this is for the Harvest appeal with your donation)
- Pray for the churches on the hills around Bujumbura – as well as in the hills, valleys, and plains of Derbyshire, that in what we do the good news of the Kingdom of God will transform lives, grow church, and build community.
St. Mary’s Church in Wirksworth has received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Faith Folk Foundation project, it was announced today. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the project aims to carry out repairs and improvement work to the church building and investigate the literal and historic foundations of the church and the town.
St Mary's is a Grade 1 listed building, and a member of the Major Churches Network, listed on English Heritage’s “Heritage at Risk” register and a much loved community building for the people of Wirksworth. Without this support from the Heritage Fund it would continue to deteriorate and the stories of local residents would remain un-investigated and unheard.
Development funding of £313,770 has been awarded by the Heritage Fund to help the PCC progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £1.73million at a later date.
The project will enable extensive repair and restoration work to take place, including to the transept roofs, nave walls, windows and churchyard paths. It will also enable work to improve the lighting and heating systems and to provide a route to reduce the carbon footprint of the church community.
As a watertight, more easily accessible, better lit, better heated and lower carbon footprint building, the regular congregation will feel more comfortable, as will regular visitors, tourists and the many hundreds who join for our seasonal services and our many concerts and events throughout the year.
The project will also offer plenty of opportunities for local people in searching out the foundations of the church building, the origins of the town and the links through the ages between locals and the church community.
Rev Neil Griffiths, Team Rector at Wirksworth Team Ministry said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to repair our church and make it fit for the 21st century and future generations.”
St Giles’ Normanton by Derby were thrilled and honoured to welcome the Most Rev Dr Samy Fawzy Shehata, Archbishop of Alexandria, for the weekend 21-22 July. Archbishop Samy and his wife Madlaine came to express their partnership with St Giles’. Both the morning congregations received them warmly. Archbishop Samy preached at those two services and then joined the whole church community for a fellowship lunch. Archbishop Samy and Madlaine were interviewed during the lunch where they shared something of their life in Egypt. They joined the congregation of the evening service as guests.
In his morning sermon, Archbishop Samy challenged the people of St Giles’ to consider the cost of following Christ. He reminded them of Jesus’ own command to all disciples to “deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me”. He spoke soberingly of the 21 martyrs (20 Egyptians) who were executed by the terrorist ‘Islamic State’ on a beach in Libya in 2015. Just the previous Sunday the General Synod of the Church of England had agreed to add commemoration of these martyrs to the Common Worship calendar each 15 February
Rev Neil Barber, Vicar of St Giles and General Synod member, said “It was an enormous joy to welcome the Archbishop and Madlaine to St Giles’ and to be encouraged by them to keep loving all people as we hold out the good news of Jesus in this locality where there are many people of no faith and other faiths. We are thankful to God for our unity in Christ across the miles and partnership in the gospel.”
Archbishop Samy is the Provincial Archbishop over ten countries in North Africa: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia with a total population of 400 million people, as well as Bishop of Egypt. He is also Deputy Chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA).
Notification of pending faculty petition for Hartington St Giles, dated 20th July 2025
If you wish to object to any of the works or proposals, you should write giving reasons for your objection to:
The Diocesan Registrar at 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3JT
Derby.registry@1thesanctuary.com
so that it reaches the Registry no later than 21 days after the day of this notice (ie by 11 August 2025), stating your name and postal address, and whether you live in the parish and/or your name is entered on the electoral roll of the parish or any other capacity in which you write.
The Bishop's Badge service for schools took place on Monday 23 June at Derby Cathedral.
Headteachers were invited to nominate pupils who had demonstrated the values of Generous Faith, Courageous Hope and/or Life Giving Love.
Bishop Malcolm joyfully presented 36 badges to pupils from 17 schools across the diocese.
The uplifting singing was led by the children from William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School who have been involved with the Music in Schools programme from Derby Cathedral.
Families, governors, incumbents came to support the children and they heard from the heads the reasons for their nominations.
The event is supported by the DBE staff, Bishop's Office, Dean and the volunteers from the cathedral.
As one headteacher said "Thank you - this was an emotional day and the stand out memory of the year.'
31 July
The Revd Canon Rosemary Donovan will be collated as Vicar of the benefice of Melbourne, Ticknall, Smisby & Stanton by Bridge, Diocese of Derby, on Saturday 4th October at 3 pm at St Michael with St Mary’s Melbourne by the Bishop of Derby and inducted by the Archdeacon of Derby City and South Derbyshire, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Revd Elliot George will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Belper St Peter, Diocese of Derby, on Wednesday 22nd October at 7 pm at St Peter’s Belper by the Bishop of Repton assisted by the Archdeacon of Derbyshire Peak and Dales.
The Revd Alan Griggs will be collated as Vicar of the benefice of Derby St Barnabas, Diocese of Derby, on Wednesday 3rd December at 7 pm at St Barnabas’ Derby by the Bishop of Repton and inducted by the Archdeacon of Derby City and South Derbyshire.
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Dr Nicola McNally, interim part-time Priest-in-Charge of the Benefice of Fenny Bentley, Thorpe, Tissington, Parwich and Alsop-en-le-Dale, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed permanently on a full-time basis to the same benefice, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled. She has also been appointed Priest-in-Charge of the parish of Hartington and the parish of Biggin within the benefice of the White Peak Group. Nicola will be licensed to both roles on Wednesday 3rd September at 7 pm at St Giles’ Hartington by the Bishop of Repton assisted by the Archdeacon of Derbyshire Peak and Dales. Nicola will resign as interim part-time Assistant Curate (Associate Priest) of the Benefice of Ashbourne with Mapleton and of the Benefice of Wirksworth with effect from this date.
24 July
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Alasdair (Ally) Kay, Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Derby St Bartholomew, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of the same benefice by Pastoral Order dated 24th July 2025.
17 July
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Cynthia (Rhoda) Blackwell, Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of St John Newbold with Dunston, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of the same benefice, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled. Rhoda will be instituted on Saturday 23rd August at 3 pm at St John’s Newbold by the Bishop of Derby and inducted by the Archdeacon of East Derbyshire
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Anita Matthews, Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Derby St Peter and Christ Church with Holy Trinity, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of same benefice, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
10 July
The Revd Dwayne Engh will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Ashbourne with Mapleton, of the church of Ashbourne St John, of the benefice of Clifton and of the benefice of Norbury with Snelston, Diocese of Derby, on Monday 15th September at 7 pm at St Oswald’s Ashbourne by the Bishop of Repton assisted by the Archdeacon of Derbyshire Peak and Dales, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Revd John Ferguson will be instituted and inducted as Vicar of Ripley and licensed as Priest-in-Charge of Swanwick and Pentrich, Diocese of Derby, on Sunday 7th September at 3.30 pm by the Bishop of Repton, assisted by the Archdeacon of East Derbyshire, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Lisa Taylor, Assistant Curate of the benefice of Hulland, Atlow, Kniveton, Bradley and Hognaston, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed part-time Priest-in-Charge of the benefice of Wilne and Draycott with Breaston, in the same diocese, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
4 July
Justin Thacker’s ordination and licensing as Assistant Curate in the benefice of Chesterfield Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Diocese of Derby, which was to take place on Sunday 29th June, was postponed due to his ill health. Justin will now be ordained and licensed on Sunday 27th July at 3.30 pm at Holy Trinity Chesterfield by the Bishop of Repton.
3 July
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Daniel Cooke, Rector of the benefice of Brimington, Diocese of Derby, has, with the Crown’s approval, been appointed Rector of the benefice of Killamarsh and Renishaw in the same diocese, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled. Daniel will continue to hold the Bishop of Derby’s commission as Area Dean of North East Derbyshire alongside this new role. Daniel will be instituted on Tuesday 7th October at 7 pm at St Giles’ Killamarsh by the Bishop of Repton and inducted by the Acting Archdeacon of East Derbyshire.
The Bishop of Derby is delighted to announce that the Revd Canon Rosemary Donovan, Vicar of the benefice of Christ Church Epsom Common and Area Dean of Epsom, Diocese of Guildford, has been appointed Vicar of the benefice of Melbourne, Ticknall, Smisby & Stanton by Bridge, Diocese of Derby, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd John Ferguson, Assistant Curate of the benefice of Ripley and of the benefice of Swanwick and Pentrich, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of Ripley and Priest-in-Charge of Swanwick and Pentrich, in the same diocese, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Bishop of Repton is delighted to announce that the Revd Alan Griggs, Agricultural Chaplain, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of the benefice of Derby St Barnabas, in the same diocese, subject to all legal and safeguarding requirements being fulfilled.
The Revd Aidan Watson, Strategic Lead for Youth Ministry, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Team Rector of the Keynsham Team Ministry, Diocese of Bath and Wells.
