Locking churches

If at all possible your church should be left open during the day for those who wish to pray, or those who wish to find a place for quiet contemplation. It should also be open for tourists and other visitors with an interest in historic buildings. They may find it very disappointing when a church is locked, particularly if they have travelled some way. The presence of legitimate visitors will also help deter those with a criminal intent.

It is not the policy of Ecclesiastical Insurance to ask for churches to be kept locked during the day. There may be some cases where you have suffered repeated vandalism, theft or arson attacks where this is the only option and occasionally we may only be able to continue to provide cover if the church is kept locked. Hopefully, however, by following these guidelines it should be possible for the church to remain open for the use and enjoyment of all.

Whilst the church should, if possible, be left open during the day it should be locked during the hours of darkness other than for services or unless someone is present.

If you can, try to have someone on duty in the church at all times by having a rota of church sitters, or organise cleaning, grass cutting and other routine activities so that there is someone in the church or churchyard for as much of the time as possible. However, it is important to remember that any one person left on their own in the church could be at risk, therefore a means of communication such as a mobile phone should be available. Ask persons living nearby to keep an eye out for anything suspicious happening around the church. This may be best organised as part of a churchwatch scheme.

Lock away as many valuable and portable items as you can. All silver items should be kept in a good quality safe. If possible, keep brass and pewter items in the safe as well. If there isn’t enough room in the safe, then lock them away in a secure area such as the vestry.

Small valuable ornaments and items of furniture should also be locked away in a vestry, cupboard or safe when not in use. Coffin stools, chests and items which could be used in a domestic setting, are particularly vulnerable. If items cannot be locked away, consider chaining them to the floor or wall. This may not deter a determined thief, but may be sufficient to prevent more casual theft.

Helpful hint

If you feel your church should normally be kept locked, you may wish to consider making the key available to visitors. You could ask a local shop, Post Office or garage to safeguard the keys and take details of those visitors who wish to use them. Information about where to obtain the keys can be displayed in the porch area or on the church noticeboard.

Useful websites

For more information about the national churchwatch scheme, please visit www.nationalchurchwatch.com.

What about Insurance?
The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group is aware of the initiative and has provided the attached guidance.

How will the event be promoted?
The Church in Wales Communication Team will promote the participation to local and national press. The Civic Trust are very keen to see the Church in Wales partake in the event and will strongly promote our involvement. The Communication Team will be seeking interesting examples of the activities of individual churches so please let your Diocesan Communication Officer know of your activities so they can be promoted. Parishes should make sure they promote the opening to their local community with signs, posters, flyers and newsletters.

Some Dioceses are combining this event with the promotion of Back to Church Sundays. Opening prior to such Sundays will give an opportunity to promote people to return for worship.

Please join in with this exciting national event!

What are the European Heritage Days?
The Civic Trust in Wales organises a series of weekends over which heritage property throughout Wales is opened to the public. This coincides with a European-wide initiative to promote access to heritage sites.

Why should the Church in Wales be involved?
The Bench of Bishops agreed in January 2006 that churches in Wales should be encouraged to join in with this initiative to:
· Extend the witness and outreach of the Church in Wales
· Celebrate the central importance of our Church buildings across Wales
· Join with our partners who protect the heritage of Wales

When do they take place?
The 2006 Heritage Days in Wales take place over three weekends as follows:

9/10 September
16/17 September
23/24 September

Parishes are encouraged to ensure their buildings are open for visitors on all or any of these days but in order to make the biggest statement of witness, churches are requested to definitely be open on the 9th September. This will be the first day of the Heritage Days and will have the most significant impact across Wales.

What does taking part involve?
Parishes are simply asked to ensure their churches are open. Many are open routinely anyway so they need do little more. However, it will be particularly effective if Parishes can ensure that people are on hand to welcome visitors (even though there can be no guarantee that people will visit your church!). Arranging people to be available can be difficult so why not organise an activity or event around the open day? For example, choose the 9th September for an annual church clean, hold a tea party, host an exhibition, or involve your local school etc. Contact the Churches Tourism Network Wales (http://www.ctnw.co.uk/ tel: 029 2071 0014) or the Representative Body Property Services Department (tel: 029 2034 8200) for advice and ideas.