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<p>A comprehensive record of maintenance and repair spend is not held centrally, as
all parishes operate as independent entities. However it is estimated that parish
communities spent at least £130m a year pre-pandemic on church building projects,
including repair and maintenance, conservation of collections such as manuscripts,
silver and textiles, improvements to accessibility and environmental sustainability,
and inclusion of community facilities such as toilets and kitchens. Specialist building
firms, craftspeople, archaeologists, conservators and others rely on churches to provide
them with work and a training ground for passing their skills on to apprentices and
trainees.</p><p>The vast majority of this money is raised locally and we are grateful
to national bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Churches Trust,
Wolfson Foundation and Pilgrim Trust, who continue to provide essential grants. The
overall maintenance deficit continues to grow since the ending of the dedicated places
of worship repair scheme in 2017.</p>
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