The CVTA Conference and AGM was in Cardiff this October for two days of learning, exploring and, perhaps most importantly, sharing ideas with others who care passionately about churches, shrines, chapels and the people who keep them open and welcoming – including our development manager Matt.

This year’s theme was Using Buildings Creatively; Empowering Volunteers, and the programme explored some of the big opportunities and challenges facing places of worship today: how we welcome visitors, make better use of our buildings, generate income, support volunteers and find sustainable ways for historic churches and chapels to remain at the heart of their communities.

The Friday offered a fascinating walk around Cardiff looking at some of its notable churches beginning with St David’s Metropolitan Cathedral. This was followed by an explore of St John the Baptist church in Cardiff City Centre which later in the weekend was being used as one of the venues for the Cardiff City Music Festival. Delegates then enjoyed a 2-mile walk to Llandaff Cathedral for a tour followed by evensong. A very enjoyable meal at Pizza Express in central Cardiff proved a positive time for networking and learning about others’ experiences of keeping places of worship open and sustainable.

On Saturday, we were hosted at the Trinity Centre, off Newport Road and our speakers brought different perspectives and plenty of practical inspiration. Rev’d Rebecca Sparey, Mission Area Leader in Denbigh Mission Area, related the inspiring story of its restoration and how it is now providing a support hub for refugees and asylum seekers located as it is close to Cardiff’s Home Office. https://www.trinitycentre.wales/

Gareth Simpson, Support Officer in Wales for the National Churches Trust described at how places of worship can use their buildings creatively to earn income and build stronger relationships with their wider communities. His inclusion of several case studies provided inspiration by showing what can be achieved. https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/wales-cymru

Sarah Perons, Churches Development Officer for the Diocese of Llandaff, inspired us to get our boots on next summer and to walk the two new pilgrimage routes in Bangor Diocese. One crosses the Isle of Anglesey and the other around Cardingan Bay and both link up atmospheric isolated small rural churches bringing them new visitors and life. https://pererin.com/en/about

We also heard from Anastazia Thomas, Heritage & Community Officer with the St Elvans Community Heritage Trust on the transformation of ‘The Cathedral of the Valleys’ into a community resource combining concerts, festivals, exhibitions, heritage tours and the Spires coffee shop combined with an active place of worship. https://www.stelvans.com/

Beck Edwards provided an update on the Welsh Royal Commission’s Capeli Cyrmu project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which is to to carry out a national audit of the status of chapels in Wales and promote examples of benign reuse. Working in partnership with denominations, congregations, heritage organisations, and local communities, the project is developing innovative and practical strategies to safeguard chapel heritage across the country. A substantial step in informing this work will be a national chapel survey, which will map active, closed, and converted chapels across Wales, capturing data on their sustainability, architectural value, and the status of nationally protected heritage assets. https://rcahmw.gov.uk/projects/capeli-cymru/

Sir Robert Buckland, Church Estates Commissioner, and chair of the Mission, Pastoral and Church Property Committee, and the Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee explored the importance of supporting historic places of worship at the heart of their communities.

Rachel Morley, Director of the Friends of Friendless Churches and author of Church Crawling, was sadly unable to join us, but Chris Catling gave a short summary of her book which celebrates the sheer joy of discovering churches and the stories they contain especially what they tell us about the ‘nobodies’, the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Overall, the conference was about much more than sitting and listening. The programme gave people opportunities to explore Cardiff and its places of worship, spend time together, swap experiences and make new connections. Those conversations are one of the things that make CVTA gatherings so valuable. People go home not simply with notes from presentations, but with new ideas, contacts and renewed enthusiasm for what can be achieved.

That sense of enthusiasm was certainly reflected in the feedback afterwards. One CVTA Trustee described it as a “fantastic weekend”, with “so much to learn and help us in our work”, while another summed up the feeling particularly nicely: “Every year, I come away from our conference feeling really uplifted and enthused.”

People arrived with different experiences, buildings and challenges, but left with fresh ideas, useful connections and greater confidence in what churches and chapels can achieve. And, apparently, with the bar set rather high for next year.

Photos © Matt Betts