Jan 20th 2010
News release from Canterbury Diocese

Small vicars at The Parish Church of St Mary of Charity, Faversham
to be joined by mini monarchs, monks and pirates thanks to Heritage Lottery Funding

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £50,000 to fund an education project at St Mary of Charity Church, Faversham enabling the church to share its thousand year heritage with schools and visitors of all ages. The award was announced on Thursday during a church visit of children from the local primary school, St Mary of Charity.

With funding earmarked for an Education Officer who will work with Kent schools and other specialist groups, the award supports the third phase of the 'Built to InSpire' project, which over recent years has opened up the history of the church to the community, with its new exhibition, DVD, specialist booklets and in church activities. Following the success of the popular 'mini vicar' vestments introduced during the second phase of the project, child sized costumes of characters from King Stephen's time including monarchs, monks and pirates will be produced with the new funding allowing young people the chance to act out their creative stories.

The HLF funded project will also include the creation of an interactive website which will be a gateway to discover more about the Christian heritage of St Mary of Charity or explore the historic archives. Teachers and visitors will access downloadable classroom resources, find out about the exciting new community activities and events hosted by the church, put up their own visit photos and comments and see inside the church through a virtual tour.

St Mary of Charity Church is the largest parish church in Kent. Dating back to William the Conqueror, the church contains a treasure box of history including a medieval painted column depicting events from the life of Jesus and 16 medieval stalls with finely carved misericords created in the 15th Century. It is thought the remains of King Stephen, William the Conqueror's grandson lie in the Trinity chapel. Today, the church is used by a large and growing congregation of local people.

Commenting on the award, parish priest Revd Tony Oehring said: "We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable the third crucial phase of the 'Built to InSpire' project to go ahead. This phase is all about actively connecting to the local community, particularly children and young people, by bringing to life the heritage, history and Christian traditions of this ancient church. We look forward to recruiting our new Education Officer in the next few months and launching the new website later this year."

For the Heritage Lottery Fund, Stuart McLeod, Head of HLF South East England said: "Role play is an excellent way of helping young people to understand significant episodes in local history. Combined with the other resources, such as the website and DVD, this project will enchant and inform a wide audience about the rich heritage of the church and community in this place."

Further information from: Emily Shepherd, Director of Communications, Diocese of Canterbury: 01227 459 401, 07876 210 446
Or
Revd Tony Oehring, Vicar of St Mary of Charity Church: 01795 532592

Notes to Editors The Built to InSpire project aims to heighten the awareness amongst the local community, schools and visitors of the richness of treasures within the church and churchyard of the Parish Church of St Mary of Charity, and to gain an understanding of the origins, history and importance of the church within the local community, including its customs and traditions.

Phases one and two of the project, also funded by HLF, included the creation of a replica interactive model of the church, an exhibition, a DVD, an educational resource box for schools including keystage worksheets and a child friendly model kit, plus the production of 15 books and leaflets aimed at special interest groups.

Phase three will fund three years of a part time Education Officer, who will work with schools and colleges from across Kent, along with further educational resources and an interactive website. The role of Education Officer will be advertised in February and it is hoped the new officer will start work at Easter.

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating over £4.4billion across the UK, with over £428 million granted in the South East alone. Website: www.hlf.org.uk