Can You Help us Record Your Church?
The Places of Worship in Aberdeenshire/City Project has been set up to gather images and information for our website, with the help of local volunteers from congregations.
Scottish Church Heritage Research (SCHR) is a small organisation with an interest in all buildings used for worship. We photograph and record the interior and exterior of each place of worship in Scotland, current and past, and have recently begun recording in Aberdeenshire. Completed data will be uploaded to our website, freely available to all.
We are seeking members of congregations to help with photography, data typing and local research. We are looking for two or three members of each congregation to record their church as well as other buildings that have ceased to be used as places of worship. When we have a group of volunteers, a visit will be arranged for a training session. We have a Co-ordinator, but it is not feasible for one person to record every place - some 900 or so buildings, ruins and sites in Aberdeenshire/City and so we are turning to those who understand their building best, to ask for support.
Churches today have their own websites and we endeavour to link with these, to offer additional information to congregations and to develop an understanding of community heritage. We hope all places of worship will add our site to theirs, and we will reciprocate - as they complement one another.
SCHR is a small organisation, run by volunteers, dependent on grant support. We have a small grant from Historic Scotland and are also sponsored by the Church of Scotland. We recorded the Places of Worship in Angus in 2010, and are now preparing to record Aberdeenshire/City and Moray.
As well as putting this request on the website, letters are being sent to all places of worship, of all denominations and faiths, initially based on groups of adjacent parishes in Aberdeenshire and City, to facilitate meeting with interested volunteers in each area. Other areas will be contacted later. For now, we would be most grateful for anyone to contact us if they are willing to support the programme. We would like to make contacts and arrange to meet.
We look forward to hearing from you. Our contact details are: SCHR Ltd, Volunteer House, 69 Crossgate, Cupar KY15 5AS. Tel: 01334 844822 or email: office@scottishchurches.org.uk
Additional Ways You Can Help
Many individuals have shown a great deal of interest in SCHR and in the Places of Worship in Scotland Project and have offered to help. Until now, however, SCHR has not been able to respond to this interest, because we lacked people and funds to support an organisation.
As we are committed to developing the Places of Worship project with the help of local churches, individuals from many backgrounds and from groups, we have set up a Membership organisation as a way to harness support and to keep those interested informed of our activities, through our twice a year Newsletter, Annual Conference and mailings. Membership costs £10, to cover communication and postage and anyone interested in the project or wishing to support our work will be welcome.
Use the download link (left) to print out a Membership Application Form (Adobe PDF reader required), and post to us together with your payment or payment instructions to the supplied address. Fees are due annually on September 1st.
SCHR is a Charity and we have registered for Gift Aid, so that donations and membership fees can be used to support application to the Inland Revenue for Gift Aid funds, amounting at present to 25p in the pound, a valuable addition to our funds. Members do not have to take any action about this, once they have signed the Gift Aid Form. The support comes from the taxes paid be each individual.
The AGM is held annually in September and will be linked to an event, such as visits to churches or oher places of worship near the venue. In 2011 the AGM was held on Tuesday September 6th in Dundee.