Advice and Training
Your most important contact is your DAC Secretary who will be happy to answer any questions about how to care for your church, its contents and churchyard. The DAC also holds lists of approved architects and can advise you on suitable object conservators.
Please do not hesitate to contact your DAC as early as possible. Any alterations, extension or repair works require a faculty and you need to apply for a faculty to your DAC. Consulting the DAC at an early stage in your proposals will save you time and costs.
If you are planning larger projects such as a reordering or an extension it may be helpful to look at similar schemes in other parishes. Your DAC Secretary can provide you with successful examples and contact details.
You can find the contact details for all DAC Secretaries here.
Another source of information is your inspecting architect or surveyor. He can advise you on practical issues, explain the Quinquennial Inspection Report and may execute repairs or other works. Keep your architect or surveyor's contact details ready to hand for emergencies.
Many dioceses organise training days for churchwardens covering issues of repair, insurance, security and legal matters. Contact your DAC Secretary for further information.
Since May 2007, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) also runs training courses for volunteers looking after places of worship in England and Wales. Part of the Faith in Maintenance project, these courses aim to increase the appreciation of the importance of historic places of worship, the understanding of traditional building materials and construction, the ability to recognise potential problems and to provide information on how to tackle common maintenance tasks. In addition to the courses, the project offers access to specialist professional advice via a telephone helpline.
You can find more information on the Faith in Maintenance website.
