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New project aims to help protect Scotland's churches

Scotland's Churches Trust An old, sandstone-block church with a slate roof covered in mosses and lichens. There are gravestones in the foreground and trees surround the church.Scotland's Churches Trust
The Finding Futures for Scotland's Churches project has been supported by a £229,015 grant

A new project is gathering information on the heritage and community value of Scotland's churches and their contents.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Scotland's Churches Trust said there were almost 3,000 of the places of worship across Scotland.

They said about a third were expected to close by the end of this decade, and already 200 had shut since 2020.

The charities' Finding Futures for Scotland's Churches project has been supported by a £229,015 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The project will also look at practical solutions to avoiding the loss of heritage when churches close.

Dr Helen Spencer, of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said the funding would allow "crucial" work to go-ahead.

She said: "Working with Scotland's Churches Trust and the many other groups involved in caring for these places of worship, we hope to make the heritage sector much better prepared when churches are closed or repurposed, to ensure that important treasures are not lost to the nation forever."

Merryn Glover Appleby The church is a small, single storey building with white walls and small bell tower. There are lichen-covered gravestones. Behind the church are large trees, including Scots pines.Merryn Glover Appleby
A community bid could be made for a kirk at Loch Insh

Meanwhile, people in Kincraig in the Cairngorm National Park hope to buy a local church which has roots dating back to the 6th Century.

Loch Insh Old Kirk is expected to be put up for sale by the end of next year by the Church of Scotland, which is looking to reduce the cost of its property portfolio.

Residents are setting up a charity with a view to continuing Christian worship at the site, and they are also hoping to hold concerts and exhibitions there.

The current church building was erected in the 1700s but the site has connections to St Columba who brought Christianity to the Highlands.

David Hull, a church elder and chair of the charity working group, said the church drew visitors from all over the world.

In Inverness, a community group hopes to take over the city's Old High Church.

Falling numbers

The Church of Scotland said it had identified a need for radical change due to challenges posed by falling minister numbers, a decline in membership and a reduction in income both nationally and locally.

As part of this process, a new grouping had been created in the southern Abernethy area.

The Church of Scotland said this meant Insh and Laggan churches would be released for sale by the end of 2026.

A spokesperson said: "We recognise that Insh Church, as with many other church buildings across the country, is important and valuable to the local community.

"However, our mission plans take into consideration what is best for the whole of the Presbytery area, making the best use of our resources, both human and financial, and ensuring they are best placed to continuing our mission of sharing the good news of Jesus and serving our communities."