Peter Lankester and Neil Skelton
St Giles is all that remains of the ghost village of Imber after it was evacuated by the Army for military training purposes in 1943. The church is accessible to the public on only a handful of days per year, with permission from the Ministry of Defense, making conventional fundraising activities centered around visitor access at St Giles particularly challenging. In 2021, over £6,000 was raised at the Imber Open Day on 21st August and volunteers from the Friends of St Giles welcomed 1,800 visitors to the church. Peter and Neil used to work for the CCT and are now longstanding volunteers. They have been involved with St Giles’ for over a decade, showing a long-term commitment to the ongoing care of this historic church and promoting its incredible story. Peter has been working on updating the interpretation in the church, project managing this process from start to finish. The new interpretative panels and banners were launched in August this year to glowing approval from visitors.