The Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust (OHCT) provides financial support with repairs and certain improvements to churches and chapels in Oxfordshire, England, without regard to their denomination.
Abbreviation | OHCT |
---|---|
Named after | Oxfordshire |
Formation | 1964 |
Founded at | Oxfordshire |
Type | Nonprofit |
Legal status | charity |
Purpose | Historic church preservation |
Location |
|
Region served | Oxfordshire |
Products | Publications |
Services | Grants |
Methods | Events |
Fields | Cultural heritage |
Official language | English |
Chairman | Stephen Goss |
Secretary | Richard Hughes |
Treasurer | Giles Dessain |
Grants Officer | Cynthia Robinson |
Publication | Annual Review |
Parent organization | National Churches Trust[1] |
Funding | Donations |
Website | ohct |
ONCT encourages interest in Oxfordshire churches and chapels and undertakes fundraising,[2] partly through an annual sponsored 'Ride & Stride' event held in September,[3][4] and through JustGiving.[5]
The Trust was established in 1964. Sir Hugo Brunner, formerly Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, has been a Trustee of OHCT and has helped with fund-raising activities, including formal openings.[6] By 2011, the value of the Trust's grants to churches and chapels had amounted to around £3.5 million. The chairman at the time since 1999, Christopher H. Walton, received an MBE for raising and distributing more than £2 million for Oxfordshire churches in his work for the Trust.[7] In 2016, it was announced that the Trust's 2014 Jubilee Campaign (50 years after its establishment) had raised £3 million in donations of cash and legacies, helping churches such as St Mary's Church, Chalgrove.[8] In 2024, the Trust provided finance to help with urgent repairs of St Mary's Church, Bampton, which featured in the television drama series Downton Abbey.[9]
As part of its activities, OHCT produces publications related to historic churches in Oxfordshire.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust". nationalchurchestrust.org. UK: National Churches Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust". app.goodhub.com. GoodHub. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Oxfordshire". ridestride.org. Ride+Stride. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Ride and Stride – The Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust (OHCT) annual sponsored ride". A Church Near You. Church of England. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Pounds, John (14 September 2013). "John's OHCT Ride and Stride page: Fundraising for Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust". JustGiving. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Villagers welcome a place to meet". Oxford Mail. 13 May 2003.
- ^ "Birthday Honours:Christopher Walton". Oxford Mail. 11 June 2011.
- ^ "Historic churches set to benefit from millions of pounds in restoration grants". Oxford Mail. 22 September 2016.
- ^ Norris, Miranda (1 November 2024). "Oxfordshire's Downton Abbey church undergoes urgent repairs". Oxford Mail.
- ^ Lethbridge, Richard (2010). Oxfordshire Churches. Stonesfield. ISBN 978-0952712633.