What The Churches Conservation Trust does

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is a UK registered charity (No. 258612) operating as a sponsored body of the Church of England Commissioners and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Established in the early 1970s and headquartered in London with plans to relocate to Northampton, CCT conserves and operates a national portfolio of 358 historic churches across England — the only organisation in the country dedicated exclusively to saving historic places of worship at risk. Over 80 churches in the estate contain wallpaintings spanning more than 1,000 years of British history, and CCT maintains a partial digitisation of the National Wallpainting Survey database with the Courtauld Institute.

CCT's product portfolio spans heritage access (church visits and events), venue hire, the trademarked "Champing" overnight-stay concept, two flagship cultural venues (Seventeen Nineteen in Sunderland and Sudbury Arts Centre), and the CCTdigital streaming platform launched in December 2021. The organisation is supported by over 2,000 volunteers, partners with operational bodies such as The Bridge Project and Sunderland Music Hub, and runs educational programmes under the Discover and Learn banner.

The revenue model is hybrid charity: roughly half of income comes from core funding from the Church of England and DCMS, with the remainder raised from individual donors, multi-tier membership programmes (£3.50 basic membership up to £2,100 joint Chancel Club), legacies, charitable trust and government grants (National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, Culture Recovery Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund), and commercial activities (venue hire, Champing, filming, and cultural venue operations). Named sub-brands include Champing, Seventeen Nineteen, Sudbury Arts Centre, CCTdigital, Bulmer-Thomas Circle, and Chancel Club. The trust generates multi-channel engagement through events, photography competitions, the twice-yearly Pinnacle magazine, social media, and community supporter programmes.

Name

The Churches Conservation Trust

Legal name

Churches Conservation Trust

Website

https://visitchurches.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Churches Conservation Trust is a UK registered charity conserving 358 historic churches across England. It offers public access, venue hire, overnight Champing stays, cultural venues, and digital content, serving visitors, members, and communities through heritage conservation and education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage conservation and cultural services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines) (THAJACAG), Religious & Sacred Sites Tours (THAJAAAF), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Historic church conservation
• Heritage building preservation
• Heritage venue hire
• Overnight church camping
• Heritage education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Multi-tiered membership program offering Individual membership from £3.50, Bulmer-Thomas Circle (£600/year individual), and Chancel Club (£1,308/year individual) providing exclusive benefits and access to conservation-focused events.
2. Donations and legacies: One-time and recurring donations, annual appeals, and legacy bequests. CCT encourages supporters to leave gifts in wills to help steward buildings for future generations.
3. Charitable trusts and foundations: Funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Heritage Fund, Heritage Stimulus Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund, Enovert Community Trust, and other charitable foundations for conservation projects.
4. Government grants: Core funding from Church of England and Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) comprises approximately half of income. Additional grants include Culture Recovery Fund (£1.6m, £1.345m), Historic England Heritage at Risk grants, and Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
5. Commercial activities: Revenue from church hire for events, Champing overnight stays, filming location fees, and venue operations at Seventeen Nineteen (Sunderland) and Sudbury Arts Centre.
6. Digital content subscription: CCTdigital streaming platform offering films and digital content about churches, described as 'Netflix for people who love churches'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Churches Conservation Trust conserves and provides public access to 358 historic churches across England that have been vested in it by the Church of England. Its core offering combines heritage conservation services, public visits to churches, overnight "Champing" accommodation, venue hire for events and filming, cultural venue operations (Seventeen Nineteen and Sudbury Arts Centre), the CCTdigital streaming platform, a multi-tier membership programme, and an education programme, supported by a network of over 2,000 volunteers.

Product overview

The Churches Conservation Trust operates a diverse portfolio of heritage sites and services centered on saving and maintaining historic churches at risk across England. The core offering includes access to 358 historic churches for visits and events, supplemented by unique overnight accommodation experiences through Champing™, cultural venues (Seventeen Nineteen in Sunderland, Sudbury Arts Centre), and a digital streaming platform (CCTdigital). Membership programs at multiple tiers provide access to exclusive content, events, and conservation engagement opportunities. Educational resources, building guides, and the Pinnacle magazine support outreach and learning. The organization also provides venue hire services and runs conservation programs including wallpainting preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chancel Club: A higher-level membership scheme for those wishing to be more closely involved in the work of the Churches Conservation Trust, providing greater access to expertise while ensuring support goes further to safeguard historic churches.
• Bulmer-Thomas Circle
• Champing
• Seventeen Nineteen
• Sudbury Arts Centre
• CCTdigital

Products and services

• Champing Trademarked overnight camping experience in historic churches cared for by CCT, allowing visitors to sleep in historic church buildings across England.
• CCTdigital Streaming Platform Online streaming platform offering films and digital content about church heritage, including member exclusives and a lecture series, accessible globally via cctdigital.com.
• Seventeen Nineteen Cultural Venue Cultural venue at Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland's East End offering events, concerts, exhibitions, workshops and heritage experiences.
• Sudbury Arts Centre Cultural venue and arts centre at St Peter's Church Sudbury operated in partnership with The Bridge Project following a multi-million pound regeneration.
• Church Hire Service Historic churches available for hire as venues for events, weddings, concerts, theatre productions, filming, meetings and community gatherings throughout the year.
• CCT Membership Programme Multi-tier membership programme for the public to support CCT's conservation work, starting from £3.50 per year and including standard, Bulmer-Thomas Circle and Chancel Club tiers.
• Bulmer-Thomas Circle Membership Conservation-focused membership tier named after CCT founder Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, offering special visits, lectures and exclusive communications from £600 per year individual / £840 joint.
• Chancel Club Membership Highest CCT membership tier for closely involved supporters, including behind-the-scenes tours, an annual lecture ticket and dining with the Chair and Chief Executive, from £1,308 per year individual / £2,100 joint.
• Discover and Learn Education Programme Free educational resources and workshops for teachers, schools and families, including Poetry in the Pulpit and STEM Conservation Champions, bringing history and conservation to life.
• Pinnacle Members' Magazine Twice-yearly members' magazine covering CCT's work, historic church buildings, heritage craft skills and outreach projects, mailed to members.
• Wallpainting Conservation Programme Conservation, documentation and public engagement programme for the medieval wall paintings across the CCT estate, delivered in partnership with the Courtauld's National Wallpainting Survey.
• Public Church Visits Free public access to 358 historic churches across England, including trails, guided tours and self-led exploration of medieval wallpaintings, stained glass and architectural heritage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.79 million people visited CCT churches in the past year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• The Bridge ProjectflagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2023The Bridge Project is the operational partner running Sudbury Arts Centre (regenerated St Peter's Church, Sudbury). They manage the venue as a cultural and community hub following a multi-million pound regeneration funded by £1.67m from National Lottery Heritage Fund plus other sources. Dave Jackson, Chief Executive of The Bridge Project, leads operations with support from The Mackman Group.
• MishMash ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2023Production company partnered on Hidden Stories project with Sunderland Music Hub and Seventeen Nineteen, delivering creative arts and music project with communities.
• The CourtauldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Courtauld Institute's National Wallpainting Survey - archive of international importance with records of all known British medieval wall paintings. Project partially digitised over three years with volunteer community, funded by Paul Mellon Centre, Pilgrim Trust, and Marc Fitch Fund.
• Sunderland Music HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner in Hidden Stories creative arts and music project with Seventeen Nineteen. Worked with communities to uncover and share stories of history and heritage. Phase One funded by Arts Council England's Project Grants programme.
• Sister Sounds ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Newcastle-based production company working with Seventeen Nineteen's Lily Daniels on audio drama 'Williams Castle' for BBC Radio 4, inspired by William's letter found in Holy Trinity Church.
• Lancaster and District Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2021CCT working with Chamber of Commerce to develop sustainable new use for St John the Evangelist, Lancaster - exploring co-working and event space concept. Buttress Architects commissioned for design proposals.
• York HandmademinorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 27 July 2021Heritage craft firm involved in craft skills work. Through Heritage Stimulus Fund grant, CCT employed over 70 firms of local heritage contractors and subcontractors, resulting in employment for over 300 trades and craftspeople.
• River Church IpswichcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 July 2021River Church Ipswich is the new tenant operating from St Mary-at-the-Quay church. Part of Church of England in Suffolk's 'Inspiring Ipswich' initiative and HTB Network. Provides contemporary worship services, Alpha courses, and community groups. Church remains open for visitors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Historic Chapels Trust: Smaller specialist charity conserving redundant chapels and places of worship. Closely comparable niche focus on religious buildings at risk, though at significantly smaller scale than CCT.
• English Heritage: Operates historic sites across England for public access and education, including castles, abbeys, and historic churches. Directly comparable as both a heritage sites operator and a recipient of DCMS/grant funding; differs by including broader monumental sites.
• SAVE Britain's Heritage: UK charity that campaigns to preserve historic buildings at risk of demolition or decay. Comparable on the heritage-rescue mission, though primarily advocacy-focused rather than a site operator.
• The Landmark Trust: UK charity that rescues historic buildings and offers them as holiday accommodations. Closest direct analogue for CCT's Champing concept (overnight stays in heritage buildings), and shares the building-rescue mission.
• Friends of Friendless Churches: Charity dedicated to rescuing redundant and historic churches in Wales and England. Directly comparable mission (saving historic churches at risk), though smaller in scale and with a Welsh/English regional focus.

Regional players

• National Trust for Scotland: Scotland's equivalent of the National Trust, conserving heritage properties with membership, volunteers, and commercial revenues. Comparable operating model, though smaller and Scotland-focused.
• Historic Environment Scotland: Scotland's lead public body for historic environment, operating and conserving historic sites. Comparable in mission and visitor engagement model, but focused on Scotland rather than England; useful geographic peer.

Emerging players

• The Prince's Foundation: Charity focused on heritage craft skills training, traditional building education, and built-environment conservation. Comparable on heritage skills training programmes and conservation advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: The UK's largest conservation charity, holding heritage properties, countryside, and gardens for public benefit. Closely comparable business model (membership, donations, commercial activities, volunteer network) and heritage conservation mission, but with broader scope beyond churches.

Others

• Heritage Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund): Major UK funder of heritage projects including CCT projects (£1.67m Sudbury grant). Relevant ecosystem peer as a key funding partner and similar in heritage ecosystem positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thecct
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChurchesConservationTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-churches-conservation-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Churches Conservation Trust