St Mary and St Peter’s church in Tidenham, Gloucestershire, is to finally get a toilet and a kitchen after more than 700 years. The 13th century church has no facilities inside the building – which is limiting what the church can do in the community. 

 Thankfully, help is on hand. The Grade II* Listed church is to share in a £735,326 urgent funding pay-out from the National Churches Trust.  

 A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for an accessible toilet and a small kitchen in the church to enable St Mary to become more welcoming. This will give the church a much-needed upgrade and ensure that the church can thrive for future generations.  

 There is widespread community support for this project to go ahead. As part of the grant application, letters of support from community groups were included.  

 Once the facilities have been installed more than six groups have expressed an interest in using the building for their community meetings. These include the Friends group, Tidenham Historical Society, Chepstow Bridge Club, Tidenham Village Residents Association and the National Youth Choir. 

 The church has excellent bells, and the bellringing team compete across Gloucestershire. The new facilities will mean the church could now host these competitions within St Mary and St Peter.  

It is clear that the upgrade will ensure the church will have a more sustainable future – and the wonderful historic church building will be used and enjoyed by so many more people from the community – once these facilities are in place. 

 Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said:  "The National Churches Trust is excited to be able to support St Mary and St Peter’s church to enable them to install a new and accessible toilet and a kitchen area in their beautiful building. This will help to keep the church open and serving local people.” 

 “Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to community services or a place to worship, the National Churches Trust helps hundreds of churches each year and with the support of local people, keeps them thriving today and tomorrow.”  

 Major General Peter Gilchrist CB, Chairman of the Friends at St Mary and St Peter, said: “We are delighted with the news of support from the National Churches Trust with a grant towards the re-ordering of the wonderful historic church of St Mary and St Peter in Tidenham.”  

  “With the help of this grant we can give the church a much-needed generational upgrade, making it available and accessible for future generations.  The insertion of the accessible toilet and kitchenette, along with the freed-up space in the North Aisle, will make the church a welcoming place, not just for worship but also providing a wider community benefit.” 

 “The news of this grant means that we have the confidence to press on with the project, starting in September and, with a fair wind, we will have it finished for Christmas Festivities.” 

 Professor Brian Duerden CBE, Church Warden and Treasurer to the Friends at St Mary and St Peter, said:  “The PCC is delighted with the news of the generous grant from the National Churches Trust which will enable us to press on with this much needed upgrade to the church.  This project has taken many years to get to this point and we are all excited that the church can be made accessible and available, with facilities, for future generations. The open space, which will be available having removed the pews from the North Aisle, will make a large and welcoming space both for the congregation but also for the wider community of Tidenham and for hosting concerts and other events.” 

The Grade II* Listed church is built high above the River Severn, reputedly on the site of a Roman lighthouse.  Evidence indicates there may be a Saxon base of the tower. Part of a 13th century windows remains in the church, which you can find near the pulpit. There is also a 12th century lead font – one of only six in Gloucestershire. It has an 18th century base. 

 Some of the small stone sculptures inside the church were defaced during the Civil War while in 1858, there was a major reordering inside the church by London architect John Norton, which included adding in more pews.  The church graveyard houses 15 Grade II Listed monuments. 

St Mary and St Peter’s church is one of 87 churches across the UK which will stay open and in good repair thanks to £735,326 of funding awarded and recommended by the National Churches Trust in this latest round of grants.   

 In 2023, the National Churches Trust made over 180 grant awards to churches throughout the UK, with funding totalling more than £2 million. This has helped to save over 70,000 years of precious heritage. 

 The National Churches Trust helps churches through our extensive grants programme. Grants are available for churches of any Christian denomination that are open for regular worship to fund urgent repairs, maintenance, installing toilets or kitchens and feasibility studies to develop projects. Full details are at: nationalchurchestrust.org/grants