Churches Conservation Trust reveals new format for online lecture series

For three years The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) have been hosting free Lunchtime Lectures live on their Facebook page every Thursday for people from across the world to enjoy. 

The lectures, which began in May 2020, allowed CCT to showcase the beauty of their churches during a time when they were forced to close due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Due to their popularity, the lectures continued after lockdown ended and to date, the charity has delivered over 100 talks from specialists in the fields of art, history, architecture and archaeology to name but a few. This special community of supporters has continued to stand by the CCT’s side as the world navigated a turbulent social and economic climate. 

After careful consideration of audience feedback, CCT are pleased to announce that they will be moving towards a new programme for the free and member lectures which will place producing consistently high-quality content at the heart of their digital engagement.  

Chana James, Communications Manager, CCT, said: “We are incredibly grateful to all the lecturers who have given their time and expertise free of charge to be part of this journey, which we have loved being able to share with you all. This lecture programme has also been supported by individuals from across CCT, but we are particularly grateful to Peter Aiers, George Reynolds and Victoria Jenner who have hosted these lectures. We are also thankful to everyone who has joined us each week. Our audience is at the heart of these lectures and have been vital to their success. We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback on our lectures and we look forward to continuing this success with our new lecture format.”

On 22nd May 2023 at 6.00pm CCT will be launching ‘An Evening With...’ a brand-new series that will take place monthly, on the fourth Monday, where viewers can hear about the work of CCT directly from their experts. This series will continue to be broadcast live on Facebook for all to enjoy, and audiences will have the opportunity to talk with like-minded people in the comments, and engage with specialists in the fields of conservation, regeneration, history and more.   

CCT’s final Lunchtime Lecture in the current format will take place on 27th April 2023, after which time lectures will take place every other week, with the first being the members’ exclusive lecture on 15th May. These lectures will continue to take place on the second Monday of every month, with the exception of bank holidays, and will continue to take a broad look at different subjects including history, art and archaeology. To become a member today visit: visitchurches.org.uk/membership

Alongside this exciting new lecture offer, people can visit the award winning streaming platform CCTdigital.com to get access to the back catalogue of Lunchtime Lectures. Keep an eye out for upcoming content, including a film exploring royal connections to our churches which will be released later this month.