It's our birthday! 63 today!

On Wednesday 3rd July 1957, Ivor Bulmer-Thomas gathered Goodhart-Rendel, Lady Mander, Roy Jenkins, John Piper, Betjeman, TS Eliot and others. They formed a group to save churches.
They called themselves the Friends of Friendless Churches.
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They met in Committee Room 13 of the House of Commons. The meeting was called by Ivor, who was concerned for the future of the parish church. From the outset, they fought for a formal church-and-state structure to protect important places of worship.

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From 1960, the Friends gave evidence at the Bridges Commission. Eventually led to the Pastoral Measure of 1968, and the creation of the Redundant Churches Fund (RCF). Many of the churches hitherto cared for by the Friends were transferred to this new, church-funded body.

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While we had success in protecting churches in England, Ivor was very aware that in Wales – his homeland - there was no formal structure to protect a church of importance when it closed. Ivor wanted the Friends to play a greater role in the future of redundant Welsh churches.
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With the help of the Marquess of Anglesey, President of the Friends, Ivor approached the Secretary of State for Wales and the Archbishop of Wales to press for greater protection for redundant churches.

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Years of negotiation followed. A letter confirming agreement to develop a formal protective structure arrived days before Ivor’s death in October 1993.

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Led by Ivor’s successor, the wonderful Matthew Saunders, it many more years for this to be developed and implemented. In 1998, the Friends got a new Chairman: Roger Evans, MP for Monmouth and member of the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.

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Roger encouraged an inquiry into the protection of all historic buildings in Wales. This led to Government support for the completion of a re-survey of all listed buildings in Wales, and… for us, in 1999, a formal structure to protect important redundant churches.

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We have 54 buildings in our care. We take on more every year. We do this on a shoe-string. We do this because these places are important, and deserve to survive and be celebrated.

But the Friends wouldn’t be what it is without you – our supporters – so *thank you* to you!

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