The view of the interior, looking towards the west end, in May 2026.

What’s happened in the last year?

• A year ago we were in a £1.5 million hole due to the end of the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme. In an amazing answer to prayer, the day before we were due to instruct our architects to remove large parts of the project that we could no longer afford, an anonymous donor stepped forward to cover this entire funding gap! We continued to lobby the government for our sake and on behalf of other churches in similar positions.

• Construction ramped up this year! The most significant elements were:

  • Roof repairs: the nave has been entirely restored and re-leaded; south and north aisle roof repairs and releading are in progress. The leadwork is of incredible quality; removal of old lead meant we have been able to record and retain a number of pieces of panels including historic graffiti. Woodwork repairs were underestimated - 20% increased to 80%: this caused significant delays, and an increased cost of £76,000.

  • Stone repairs: these are about 50% complete, and will continue into 2027. There was a significant increase in the amount of work required, and we had to switch quarries, which all caused more delays and cost £686,000 - half of this cost has come to us. The magnesian limestone and location of the church has meant that this area of the building’s fabric has needed repair for a long time. 

  • Stained glass: Barley Studios continues to repair and conserve our stained glass. The windows have been reinstalled in the clerestory which look stunning! Environmental Protective Glazing has been installed at the East End to protect our 14thC stained glass window above the altar. The design has been finalised for the new West window.

  • Internal repairs & redecoration: Clerestory stonework and ceiling panel repairs are complete! Protective limewash over the stone walls is complete and ceiling panels have been painted in ‘deep space blue’. Some internal scaffolding has therefore been able to be removed.

  • Bell: Our bell has been rehung! The stonework and roof of the belltower have been repaired, a lighting scheme has been designed, and the bell will be able to be rung again - electronically!

  • Ground level archaeology: Floor ledger stones have been lifted and removed for repair and reinstallation of the majority; continued opening of the nave floor in recent months has revealed burial vaults with lead coffins and further ledger stones. Coffins will be reburied (with appropriate services of reinterment by our clergy). The  archaeological watching brief, which includes detailed recording and reporting, together with records the project team is creating, will inform our visitor information and future academic study.

Some of the increased costs shared above have been picked up by the Chancel Repair Liability which is held by the Church Commissioners on the Minster’s behalf. 

The quality of the work across the roof repairs, stonework and leadwork is exceptional, receiving acclaim from visitors and advisors in the conservation sector. 

Other things we’ve been working on:

• Visitor interpretation: Work with the Centre for the Study of Christianity & Culture at the University of York continued, documenting the building before, during (and after) the project, as well as capturing discovered items and pulling it all together to create a narrative which we will be able to share with visitors both in person and online in the UK and globally.

• Moving back into the building: Strategic development of the Operations plan for the handover and life back in the church building has begun this year.

• Project Management Team: From January 2025, four of us have worked together. Initially on a trial basis, this has proved beneficial as it maintains a Project Management presence across the week, using a wide variety of skills to progress different elements of the project and tie in more closely with central church operations, strategy and vision.

What’s coming next?

The expected end date of the project is now early Summer 2027. This is a delay of about a year, which is primarily due to the substantial roof woodwork and stone repairs required.

To help meet the costs of this delay, we have recently launched a fundraising campaign with a target of £500,000 in 2026. The majority of this funding will be sought from grant making bodies, and we are inviting the church members to contribute £100,000 through pledging regular giving for the next 1-3 years in a way that suits them, or by making one-off gifts.

Find out more about pledging and giving to Impact.

Get involved!

PRAY

We are currently in 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting - join us in interceding for BREAKTHROUGH for Impact.

Get involved with fasting and praying during this time - there are some brilliant prayer stations at The Well at St Cuthbert’s. We’re praying and fasting for:

• Breakthrough in project timing

• Breakthrough in fundraising

GIVE

Pledge to give - We currently have 25 regular givers, totalling a monthly income of £2,150. Can we get 75 regular givers to pledge to give regularly to Impact for the next 1-3 years? Pledge here.

SHARE

A BAPTISM POOL FUNDRAISER is coming!!

Launching in the next few weeks, this will be a great way to share Impact with your friends, family and connections around the globe, to give them and opportunity to be part of the project!

Got a question about Impact? The team would love to you from you on impact@belfrey.org, or come and chat with us at church! 

Praise the Lord for all that has been happening in Impact, and for all that is to come!

In a major mark of significant progress on the Impact project, the first section of internal scaffolding has been removed from St Michael le Belfrey.

Over the last three weeks, the scaffolding team has worked hard to bring down the floor-to-ceiling scaffold which filled the entire central aisle of the church.

Having been in place for almost a year and a half, this is the sign that exploratory works, paint removal, repairs to stonework, windows, ceiling beams and panels, and high-level redecoration in that part of the building are now complete!

Photos by Jack Allerton, Simpson York Ltd.

Work on the Nave roof is now nearing completion, with meticulous timber repairs and general joinery almost finished. The quality of the work that Simpson has directly undertaken and overseen is superb.

To make sure the nave roof was ready to receive the lead, the wooden structure had to be recreated 6 inches higher all the way around to make it level while not damaging the existing timbers. The resulting roof skeleton was impressive to view.

The leading to the nave roof demonstrates beautiful workmanship and tweaks to the design have been made as the lead has been applied in a live process. It has been completed in sections which means it is much easier to maintain and repair in the future. Only the final detailing is now left to complete.

The south aisle roof has also been fully stripped, revealing some interesting discoveries on the old sarking boards.

Early 20thC Leadworker carrying out repairs!

Alongside the roof works, progress on the Nave ceiling has been excellent. The old and worn lath and plaster ceiling bays have been carefully removed, with plasterers carrying out the necessary repairs and installing new full bays where required. These are now ready to be redecorated to match the existing bays that were left untouched.

Meanwhile, the team from Mono Masonry have been working hard, carrying out repairs and installing new stone to both internal and external areas including the intricate window arches and traceries.

Last Sunday we shared these highs, lows, prayer points and ways to get involved with our church family:

Watch it back here

What is Impact?

• Impact is our project to restore and reorder our church building, St Michael le Belfrey

• We started planning it in 2018, and construction started in 2024. It’s due to finish in autumn 2026.

What have been some of the highlights of Impact over the last year?

• The Pews and Gallery were removed by Pinnacle Conservation in Winter 2023; wood was reused as furniture, small mementoes and sold to other places including a hotel on the Yorkshire coast, which now houses the Narthex screen!

• The Contractor was appointed, Simpson York Ltd, an experienced local firm.

• The Scaffolding went up - internally and externally, allowing access to the roof, walls and windows which are all being worked on

• Paint was removed from the internal walls

• The Roof came off! 18th century lead was removed and catalogued, and beams were assessed and are being replaced where needed

• High-level stonework repairs started, and delicate works around the window arches and the mullions

• Cabling was put into the roof spaces for lighting and power

• The new Entrance from the church into Parish Centre, where offices and meeting rooms are located, was knocked through!

What have some of the challenges been this year?

• Listed Places of Worship VAT reclaim scheme: The cap was lowered significantly, meaning we could only claim back £200,000 instead of the £1.4m we had been budgeting. Lots of lobbying, media and planning about how to address this took place in the first half of 2025 Praise the Lord we had a donor come forward to fill the gap! We are continuing to lobby DCMS in case of change for other churches.

• Significant increases to stonework repairs and therefore the cost of that; but the “chancel repair liability” payment we will receive has increased to help with this, and some smaller cost savings have been made to ensure we have enough contingency to cover the remaining repairs and conservation works.

What’s coming up next?

• Removing the aisle roofs and repairing timbers

• New lead on the roof to make it ready for many more generations

• Completing the extensive stonework repairs

• Stained glass window repairs will start in earnest over the summer at Barley Studios workshop

• Our Hhpe is that internal scaffolding will start to come down over the summer so the floor can be fully opened up and prepped for underfloor heating system.

What can we as the church family be doing to support Impact at the moment? 

• Pray:

  • Protection over the site and construction team

  • Creativity and problem-solving for our architects

  • Successful sale of a PCC-owned property which is part of the funding plan

  • Deadlines being met so the construction team can hand over to us in Autumn 2026

• Give:

  Our financing plan includes a variety of sources of income! The three highest are: about 50% big gifts; about 10% from chancel repair liability which will come from the Church Commissioners; and about 6% from the church family.

  You can support Impact by:

  • Making a one-off financial gift or pledging ongoing regular giving - click here

  • Doing some fundraising yourself! Organise an event, sell some items on Vinted or at a car boot sale, run the Yorkshire Marathon in October... - find out more

Thank you for your ongoing support and excitement for Impact!

For Media Enquiries, Interviews and Further Information:

Please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager: on 07795 644680, email gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org or Amber Boydell, Operations Manager: email amber.boydell@belfrey.org.
See www.belfrey.org/impact

An anonymous Donor has approached St Michael le Belfrey (The Belfrey) and offered to cover, if needed, the full £1.2m shortfall of its £8.5m Impact building project; caused by the new VAT cap on the Listed Places of Worship scheme.*

“This is an extraordinary and wonderful blessing”; exclaims Andy Baker, Interim Priest in Charge. “When we were faced with the shortfall, following the Government’s sudden introduction of the VAT cap, we led a call to pray - with people praying together in person, and via online meetings, as well as fasting. A number of people believed that God would provide the money at the right time;” Andy explains.

The donation was pledged the day BEFORE The Belfrey was due to instruct its Design Team and Contractors that a significant reduction in Project scope would be necessary.

“However, many of our Christian family in mid build church projects across England have had to reduce their vision, and work out how to meet the huge funding gaps that have been left;” continues Andy. “We stand with them and continue to campaign for an outcome where the Government fully recognises the value that our churches make to society, spiritual development and the economy of this country.

“We are so thankful to all those who have supported us in lobbying the DCMS, in particular local MP Rachael Maskell, who has worked tirelessly on our behalf, and our national colleagues including Emily Gee, Director for Cathedrals and Churches, Church Commissioners for England. We pray that their passion and wisdom will be heard and understood;” finishes Andy.

*N.B. On 22 January 2025 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced that it would extend the Listed Places of Worship (LPOW) grant scheme for a further year but they would cap the scheme for VAT reclaims at £25,000 per year, giving just two months’ notice. The cap, imposed mid project, leaves churches like The Belfrey unable to reclaim the VAT budgeted for, threatening their viability. In our case it has created a sudden £1.4m shortfall. Since that time The Belfrey have managed to reduce the shortfall by £200k through making advance payments to contractors which still left £1.2m to find.

For Media Enquiries, Interviews and Further Information:

Please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager: on 07795 644680, email gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org or Amber Boydell, Operations Manager: email amber.boydell@belfrey.org.
See www.belfrey.org/impact
 

On 22 January 2025 the Department for Culture, Media and & Sport (“DCMS”) announced it will impose a cap of £25k for the maximum amount of VAT a church can reclaim on its building project in a year as part of its Listed Places of Worship VAT refund scheme. 

“The Belfrey” started its £8.5m build phase in August 2024 and has effectively been given just over 2 months to find the £1.4m funding shortfall it faces.

The Belfrey welcomes on average 600 worshippers per week; has established a significant social transformation programme including a CAP debt advice centre, counselling services, a family befriending service and a foodbank; and attracts around 35k visitors per year. It is a designated resource church for the Diocese of York with responsibilities for leadership development and helping to plant and revitalise existing churches across the north.  

As a resource church, our repair and renewal project known as Impact, will help The Belfrey become more resourceful and is the result of many years of prayer, consultation, planning and fundraising.

If the £25k cap is imposed York could be left with a visible building site, a reduced social transformation programme, fewer opportunities to share the Christian faith, a smaller leadership development programme and removal of a key city-centre Visitor attraction. The impact is therefore spiritual, social and economic across the city and the wider region. 

There has been lots happening recently in the Impact project! Here are some of the latest updates, including a prayer point…

• The lead roof is off! All the old leadwork has been removed, and the historic graffiti on it has been recorded. The outer roof is now securely protected while the internal roof space is being checked so we know what repairs are required. The Impact Board recently went to visit - have a look at the photos here to see what they saw!

• The old white paint on the internal walls has been carefully removed. The interior will be repainted with a fresh layer which allows the stonework to breathe - an important thing to consider for a stone building.

• The Listed Places of Worship grant scheme run by the government was recently debated, and there are now plans for it to be changed. This would have allowed us to recoup a very significant portion of the construction costs through VAT reclaim, but this is currently no longer a possibility. We are exploring a variety of other options for funding which could fill this hole. Please join us in praying for a way forward.

• Would you like to start giving to Impact, make a one-off gift or review your giving for 2026? Go to belfrey.org/impact to donate or pledge. Thank you - your generosity is very much appreciated. 

Follow Impact on Instagram for updates and behind-the-scenes of the project.

Members of the Impact Board

A figure on the stoneware above one of the interior arches

Looking at the interior walls, where layers of old paint have been carefully removed

The interior scaffolding - it fills the whole church!

The roof, carefully protected from the elements now that the leadwork has been removed for replacement

The old bell, located in the belltower (or “belfry") at the west end of the church. It will be restored.

The next major development in the construction phase begins in mid-January, when the roof of St Michael le Belfrey starts to be removed for replacement.

This is a really exciting part of the project. Not only is it one of the most urgent repairs to the church building that we need to carry out (you may remember the leaks!) but some of the leadwork bears the signatures of the workers who last did significant work on it in the 18th century - often in the form of a traced outline of their boot or hand. Archaeologists have been recording these over the last few weeks for information and also education, as we hope to be able to display examples of this “graffiti” as part of our visitor offering in the future, for all to enjoy.

Thank you for keeping the roof removal and replacement in your prayers over the next couple of months.

The scaffolding is nearly complete! 

Simpson started on 5 August 2024, preparing the site of the church building. After some careful redesign, which uses a ladder system to protect the floor and the vaults underneath the surface, ADS Scaffolding has nearly completed the erection of the scaffold inside the building and continues to build the scaffold externally.

At the first stage and higher stage, certain window panes have been removed by Barley Studio to ‘tie’ the scaffolding through the window apertures.

This means that no scaffold is attached directly to the building which is important as it ensures the Grade I listed fabric is better protected.

The result is almost architectural in itself. 

Please pray for: ADS that they can complete the scaffolding without any delays or difficulties and Simpson as they look ahead and turn their attention to the masonry repairs and cleaning off the paint.

St Michael le Belfrey, a thriving Grade I listed church in York city centre, has awarded the Contract for Impact - its major repair and reordering project - to Simpson, a York based construction company with significant expertise in restoration and conservation.  

The rigorous tender exercise was overseen by cost consultants Morham & Brotchie and LDN Architects. LDN Architects will retain their role as Principal Designer and take on the role of Contract Administrator.

“We are delighted to award this contract to Simpson. The care for their clients and their expertise demonstrated on current projects such as Salford Cathedral and York Minster’s Centre of Excellence gives us confidence that they will help us fulfil our aim to beautifully transform our medieval church building into a more welcoming, accessible and flexible space,” explains Rev Andy Baker, Interim Priest in Charge, The Belfrey. Andy goes on to say: "We look forward to working with a York based company which fits with our Sustainability Strategy and supports the local economy.”

Impact will be the first major building refurbishment St Michael le Belfrey has seen in more than 150 years. The significant repairs necessary include a new roof, masonry repairs and conservation of the medieval stained glass. The creation of  a new gallery, better toilets, flexible seating and a beautiful, accessible, full immersion baptism pool ensures The Belfrey can serve York and the Region better for generations to come. 

“We are proud and excited to be appointed to deliver the major reordering works at St Michael le Belfrey. It will be a privilege to work closely with Rev Andy Baker, Gillian Shepherd and the whole professional team in transforming this beautiful Medieval Church in the middle of our home City York, comments Andrew Gatenby, Managing Director, Simpson. 

“The refurbishment and restoration project will certainly transform St Michael le Belfrey and in doing so enhance the facilities for the clergy team, congregation and the local community, ensuring this Historical place of worship continues to “serve its city.”

ENDS

For Media Enquiries and Further Information:

Please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager on 07795 644680, email gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org. Or visit www.belfrey.org/impact

We look forward to selecting our Contractor and starting to prepare for Construction but the costs now exceed the budget. We are working hard with the Design team to make cost savings.

If you have not been in a position to give to Impact or have been waiting to get closer to Construction then now would be a great time to give or make a pledge (i.e. commit) to give an amount each month. If you can give again or extend your giving that would be amazing.

We would love to see if we can double the generous giving already received from the Belfrey congregations. This would take us closer to the full design we want for our church building and/or not have to take out such a big loan. By giving now it offers greater assurance that we have the money in place to sign the contract with the building company.

If you give by 21 May then a generous anonymous donor will add 25% on top (up to £50k). The deadline for new and extended pledges is Sunday 9 June.

We are grateful for your prayers and consideration. God has been in Impact from the start so we can and will see it through. For a full update on Impact download the document.

We're delighted to host a Summer Ceilidh in our beautiful ballroom with professional local Ceilidh band Hot Not Bothered. This will be a fun night out and help to raise funds for the Impact building project. It will include barn dancing, a 2 course supper and drink on arrival. There will also be a licensed bar and Auction of Promises. 

We're collecting Promises for the Auction NOW! This is where you can offer a treat, service or experience for others to bid on and purchase. This could be anything from car washes, to home cooked meals, tutor lessons, haircuts and weekends away, and much more! Please think about what YOU could offer? 

Click here to make A PROMISE.

Tickets will go on sale later in April.

The Belfrey has now removed and reclaimed much of the wood from its church building before it starts Construction. As part of its sustainability strategy ,and to capture the memories and connections people have with The Belfrey, it has sought to meticulously reclaim the wood for it to be remade into quality furniture items that can be enjoyed by people for generations to come.

York based conservation contractor Pinnacle Group carefully took down the wooden pews, Narthex screen and gallery (as well as some floor tiles) in the Grade I listed church and then shipped it to furniture maker Stewart Long Interiors, based in Lincoln. Stewart has been converting the wooden items into furniture including pew seats, benches, footstools, tables, and bespoke furniture. Members of the church or the public can purchase items and it is expected that some items can be purchased for use in the hospitality sector. The aim for particular wood features like the Georgian staircases and balustrades is to carefully reconstruct them in another location. 

In addition, a local Social Enterprise has been given some of the wood from which they have created specific items including a communion table and holding crosses.

“All the people we have worked with on this pre contract project have been simply brilliant, going above and beyond the original requirements” comments Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager.  “Since the start of Impact, sustainability has been a key priority for The Belfrey. We have adopted the One Planet Living Framework as a template to work towards both the repairs and renovation so it was important that we could repurpose the wood well.”

Andy Baker, Interim Priest in Charge at The Belfrey explained “We are first and foremost a place of worship and mission, and in order to fulfill the church’s potential to welcome many more people into the building it has become necessary to open things up and remove the restrictive wooden fittings. This allows for the creation of a flexible open space with level access throughout and the opportunity to make the building fit for purpose for generations to come; which is hugely exciting. We wanted to treat the wood with great care and anyone with an attachment to the church could purchase a piece of it to keep”.

Further trial pits were dug understand the archaeology beneath and recorded by On-Site Archaeology. This helps the design team, particularly our Structural Engineers, know whether final adaptations need to be made to the proposed scheme and can reduce the risk of unexpected finds during construction.  

Once again the slender columns and the delicacy of the perpendicular architecture are revealed at St Michael le Belfrey for a short period before Construction starts, expected to be this Spring. 

For details of the wooden furniture please see www.Belfrey.org/furniture. 50% of proceeds go to Impact.

Church building, following completion of wood reclaim at twilight.

The Belfrey was delighted to hear it had been awarded two more grants totalling £24k towards it’s £10.8m Impact building project, to repair and transform the historically significant Grade I listed church. A grant worth £15k from Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust and £9k from ChurchCare will both be used towards the repairs of St. Michael le Belrey.

Approximately 30% of the total project is focused on carrying out much needed repairs to the medieval church building including: a new roof, repairs to the stonework including the bell turret, repairs to the stained glass and installation of environmental protective glazing. 

The grant from the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT) is the largest they have made since 2015 and makes a valuable contribution towards The Belfrey’s stonework repairs while the grant from ChurchCare (made possible through the Pilgrim and Radcliffe Trusts) helps us conserve our collection of medieval stained glass.

“Every grant we receive is such a blessing to The Belfrey,” explains Andy Baker, Interim Priest in Charge. 

“Impact has been a vision for The Belfrey for a long time and it’s such a joy to see it coming to fruition. We have now raised 90% of the funds necessary and are hopeful our continued fundraising will raise the remainder very soon. A carefully and lovingly repaired church building means it is sustainable for generations to come and will be so much more welcoming, accessible and flexible. Everyone using the building post Impact will be able to appreciate this fine example of perpendicular architecture,” concludes Andy Baker.

"Tom Ramsden, chairman of the YHCT, said he was delighted the trust was able to help with funding repairs to the stonework of this precious church and hopes the donation becomes a catalyst for further support from others."

For anyone wishing to offer their support to Impact, please see belfrey.org/impact.

A big well done to Finn Sheard, one of our students, for completing his first ever marathon yesterday (15 October) and raising over £800 for the Impact building project. Finn ran the Yorkshire Marathon here in York in 3 hours 53 minutes and was cheered on by supporters from the Belfrey and people of York. It is an awesome achievement and we are so proud of you Finn! Thank you to everyone who sponsored him and supported our repair and renovation project. If you’d still like to sponsor Finn, it's not too late - go to justgiving.com and search Belfrey. Or if you’d like to take on your own challenge or organise an event please contact fundraising@belfrey.org

Thank you!

Over the summer, and since the Faculty approval granted by the Diocese of York Chancellor, a further £1.2m has been realised towards the Impact fundraising campaign!

We are so grateful to our faith filled Belfrey members and for God’s provision.

We now need just 10% - around £800k to £1m - to realise our target. The Impact team continues to work on grant applications and donations, encouraging Belfrey members who may now be in a position to give and/or run fundraising events.

Please join us as we continue to pray and work towards our target.

PRESS STATEMENT - 25 August 2023

St Michael le Belfrey, a thriving Grade I listed church in York city centre, has been granted permission (faculty approval) by the Chancellor for the Diocese of York for its building project called Impact.

The first major refurbishment to the church building in more than 150 years, The Belfrey’s Impact project will create a welcoming, flexible, accessible and beautiful space, as well as undertaking urgent repairs, to ensure the building is sustainable for generations to come. 

In the Consistory Court of the Diocese of York, Chancellor - Lyndsey de Mestre KC - made her judgment that faculty approval should be given to St Michael le Belfrey to carry out its c£10.5m building project. She describes The Belfrey as: “. . . a remarkable church. There are many reasons why this is so, but chief amongst them are its original design, its historical legacy, its location in York and the vibrancy of its community.” 

The Chancellor notes; “The care and depth of thought with which the Petitioners, the parish and their design team have approached this project over many years is evident in every aspect of the proposals and they have demonstrated an impressive degree of responsiveness and collaboration in the development of the plans.”

“This is the most exciting news,” exclaims Andy Baker, Associate Vicar and Chair of Impact. Andy goes on to explain; “The Impact Project will create a freer, lighter and more accessible space. This not only nurtures our Belfrey congregation but allows us to share our building and facilities with others. We will have tremendous scope to increase the numbers who come to worship and visit, to host events and courses like Alpha and develop our leadership programme, as a Resource church for the Diocese of York.” 

“I am delighted that The Belfrey can move forward with Impact. It will be a great blessing to the Diocese, to the City and an opportunity to further enhance relationships with York Minster and the wider community,” says Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York

Former Vicar of St Michael le Belfrey, and now Bishop of Bolton, Matthew Porter is thrilled. “It is wonderful to see the hard work, prayers and faithfulness of The Belfrey’s members rewarded.”

The Belfrey would like to extend their thanks to the Chancellor for her interest in our project and the considerable time she has spent in compiling the Judgment. We also particularly want to thank Church Buildings Adviser, Keith Halliday, Archdeacon of York, Sam Rushton and the DAC sub committee including Secretary, Catherine Copp, who have advised, encouraged and prayed with us on the journey.

The proposed two year build project of repairs and renovations is due to start in early 2024 with completion late 2025. LDN Architects, Edinburgh, who has led the Design Team will be Principal Designer. The approved works include a new roof as well as repairs to the stonework and medieval stained glass. The design will create two new doorways and level access throughout the church; a contemporary and sensitively designed gallery; an accessible full immersion baptism pool; while the installation of an air source heat pump will provide underfloor heating. 

The Belfrey expects the Impact project will deliver numerous outcomes including expansion in our work with children, young people (including school visits and an RE resource) and students. It will facilitate our vision to act as a social action hub resourcing and working in partnership with York based churches and charities. This includes a CAP Debt Advice Centre and proposed counselling service. It will offer a beautiful mid-sized city centre venue and we predict we will double the number of people who visit.

Next month (September 2023) The Belfrey will move to The De Grey Rooms in St Leonard’s Place, York. This will be The Belfrey’s temporary worship space and offices for the next 2.5 years.

Ends

For Media Enquiries, Interview requests and Further Information please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager Tel: 07795 644680 Email: gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org. 

St Michael le Belfrey, a thriving Grade I listed church in York city centre, has recently been awarded £130k from Benefact Trust, a national grant-making charity. The Trust provides essential support to protect and enhance churches, in order for them to make a positive difference to people’s lives.

The award is a valuable contribution towards The Belfrey’s major repair and renovation project called ‘Impact’ and a further encouragement to the church as it continues its fundraising campaign.

Having recently been awarded planning permission and listed building consent for the external features of the project, this will be the church building’s first major refurbishment in more than 150 years. The Impact project will create a far more welcoming, flexible, and accessible church, with greatly improved facilities, to ensure the building is sustainable for generations to come.

The Benefact Trust’s sizeable grant will contribute towards significant repairs and key new features such as a new roof and two new doorways at the west end entrance.

Chair of Impact and Associate Vicar Andy Baker comments; “We were delighted to receive this generous grant from Benefact Trust. It is another important step in our Fundraising campaign as we seek to raise around £1.5m to complete the finance required for Impact. We are so grateful to Benefact Trust for their support. We look forward to keeping in touch with the Trust on our progress.”

Benefact Trust is one of the UK's largest grant-making charities and awarded more than £23 million to churches, charities, and communities in 2022. Its funds come from its ownership of the Benefact Group.

Andrew Bass, Grants Officer for Benefact Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting this major refurbishment project, which will not only ensure the future if this historic building, but will increase its usability, and enable the church to make a real impact in society. The improved space will mean the church can host a range of services to support community need – such as debt advice, counselling, and work with young people.”

A major fundraising campaign was launched in autumn 2022 for this c£10.5m Impact project, to help beautifully transform the church for future generations. The church building is currently inflexible, inaccessible and in desperate need of modernisation. Internal renovations, which have to be approved through the Church of England’s Faculty process include a cafe and servery area, new gallery and lift and meeting spaces. An accessible full immersion baptism pool is planned for use by The Belfrey and churches throughout the area.

The Belfrey expects the Impact project to support the delivery of numerous outcomes such as expansion in its work with children, young people and students. The church can deliver a more effective social action programme for the city, including the expansion of the newly opened Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Centre, and soon to be launched counselling service. It will offer a beautiful mid-sized venue for the city of York (available for hire) and The Belfrey predicts it will double the number of people who visit.

ENDS

For Media Enquiries and Further Information: Please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager on 07795 644680, email gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org. Or visit www.belfrey.org/impact

Notes to the Editors:

St Michael le Belfrey (known as The Belfrey) is a thriving, vibrant Anglican church in the heart of York, situated next to York Minster. The Grade I listed medieval church has an average of 600 weekly worshippers across four services and a significant congregation of 18-30 year olds (a demographic often missing in churches today). It attracts over 35k visitors per year.

A resource church for the Diocese of York, The Belfrey helps to support churches across the Diocese, develop leaders, plant new churches and reach out to the city and beyond.

The c£10.5m Impact Building Project to repair and reorder/renovate the church directly supports The Belfrey’s mission to ‘Serve God’s Transformation of the North’ and bring wider investment into the Church and communities in the North of England. It will offer a stronger foundation to help fulfil our five key aims: Serve York, Make Disciples, Nurture Disciples, Develop Leaders and Plant Churches.

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St Michael Le Belfrey Church, The Parish Centre, 11-12 Minster Yard, York, YO1 7HH
Tel 01904 624190. www.belfrey.org/impact Charity Number 1130866

​What a fabulous fundraising weekend the Impact project has had…the Youth organised a Foot​ball fundraiser and Sam Archer (one of our student interns) ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon! 

Sam ran his first ever marathon for Impact, and not just any old marathon, but a brand new one that took in incredible hill ascents north of Leeds, including the formidable Otley Chevin that climbs to 282m above sea level!  Huge congratulations and thanks to Sam for this momentous achievement and in raising over £1,000 for our building project. We just hope the blisters and bruises heal soon Sam!

A big thank you also to the Youth Team for organising the Football fundraiser at Burnholme Sports Centre, including kids, youth and adults who played in age groups throughout last Saturday morning. Hugely competitive but fun times were had by all, complemented by bacon sandwiches, cakes and drinks, and the continuous commentary from our wannabe football pundits! Thank you very much to all who took part, volunteered, baked and supported the event, which raised over £250. 

St Michael le Belfrey, a thriving Grade I listed church in York city centre, has received planning permission and listed building consent from City of York Council for the external elements of a proposed major building project. The 16th century Anglican church, known as The Belfrey, is the resource church for the Diocese of York* and has received planning permission for over £3.5m worth of urgent external repairs and improvements to the fabric of the church building. 

Permission is subject to certain planning conditions including the requirement for a written scheme of investigation for Archaeology before construction commences. The approved works, due to start later this year, will include a new roof as well as repairs to the stonework and medieval stained glass. In addition, the proposed design will create two new doorways and level access to the front/west end; while the installation of an air source heat pump to the east of the church building will provide underfloor heating. 

The first major refurbishment to the church building in more than 150 years, The Belfrey’s Impact project will create a far more welcoming, flexible and accessible entrance area and ensure the building is sustainable for generations to come. The improvements will enable the church to serve the city of York and community better. Nestled close to York Minster, the church welcomes 35,000 visitors a year and has a 600 strong congregation across its four services, engaging in creative and vibrant ministry. 

The Belfrey would like to thank their planning consultants O’Neill Associates who have consulted with City of York Council throughout the application process, and their architects LDN for the extensive submission and subsequent revision of drawings and documents as we responded to the Council’s comments and advice.

Matthew Porter, Vicar of The Belfrey said “We're delighted that the City of York Council has granted planning permission to our Impact project. As well as improving our historic building for future generations, the support from the Council means we'll be able to serve our city and region even better going into the future.”

The repairs are part of The Belfrey’s bigger £11m Impact project to beautifully transform the church for future generations. The interior of the church is currently inflexible and inaccessible with uneven floors and poor facilities, and is in desperate need of modernisation.

The proposed renovations to the interior have to be approved through the Church of England’s Faculty process. They include the creation of better toilet facilities, new meeting spaces, cafe and servery area, new gallery and lift, together with updated technology and flexible seating. An accessible full immersion baptism pool will be created for use by The Belfrey and churches throughout the area. Impact was recommended by the York Diocesan Advisory Committee in November 2022 and we look forward to reaching an outcome later in the year. 

The proposed two year build project of repairs and renovations is due to start in late 2023 with completion late 2025. It will deliver a far more flexible, accessible building that is fit for purpose practically and spiritually, to serve the city of York, the Diocese and beyond. 

The Belfrey expects the Impact project will deliver numerous outcomes which include expansion in our work with children, young people and students. We will be better equipped to deliver our social action programme for the city, including expanding our newly opened Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Centre, and soon to be launched counselling service, amongst other initiatives. Impact will facilitate our vision to act as a hub for training and resourcing social action in partnership with other churches and charities in York. It will offer a beautiful mid-sized city centre venue and we predict we will double the numbers of people who visit.

The Belfrey congregation and staff team will be moving to The De Grey Rooms in York from September this year for two years, as a temporary home and venue for our services, ministries and outreach.

ENDS

For Media Enquiries and Further Information:

Please contact Gillian Shepherd, Impact Project Manager on 07795 644680, email gillian.shepherd@belfrey.org. Or visit www.belfrey.org/impact