Scotland’s Churches Trust’s work recording religious cultural heritage was recognised.

A Scottish charity has won a prestigious award for its work cataloguing and documenting the country’s religious heritage. 

Scotland’s Churches Trust (SCT) were named by Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) as their overall winner in the Religious Heritage Innovator of the Year award category. 

The charity’s Recording Scotland’s Closing Churches: A Race Against Time project works with networks across the country to save not only some of the buildings but also culturally significant items contained within many of them. 

So far around 50 churches and their contents have been recorded. 

FRH said of the winners: “Through this initiative, the organisation has developed a simple and effective methodology to record the moveable contents (archival materials, musical instruments, paintings, furnishings, etc.) of hundreds of churches in Scotland that are in the process of closing. 

“The methodology does not require specialised knowledge or tools, so the recording can be carried out by a wide range of volunteers of different ages, backgrounds and even faiths who are supported by the Trust through a face-to-face training, a volunteers’ handbook and peer-to-peer mentoring. 

“The development of this new and proven methodology by Scotland’s Churches Trust is much needed in a region where, according to data provided by the same organisation, 114 churches have closed or been put up for sale and two have been demolished since 2020.”

The charity shared their delight at the gong, writing on social media: “Well this is lovely news! We are more than a little in awe at the many wonderful projects that we were short-listed along side. 

“Our thanks to the Future for Religious Heritage judges and to the truly incredible and lovely volunteers who have come forward across the country to record Scotland's closing churches. We share this award with them!”