Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Volunteer Group Award with the Church Recording Society

Marsh Volunteer Group Award with the Church Recording Society

This Award recognises a volunteer group that makes an outstanding and significant contribution to church recording. This Award celebrates the many hours of time they give to their roles, and highlights their skills and expertise, whilst working together as a team.

The volunteer groups bring a source of new ideas and initiatives, and manage to overcome any disadvantages that they might face, to ensure that they deliver results that may be used by historians, antiquarians and researchers.

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Isle of Man Church Recording Group 2024

The Isle of Man Church Recording Group was founded in 1996 and has recorded 16 churches over the past 20 years, which includes some of the most significant ancient churches on the island. The work of the group is recognised as providing a significant and unique archive. Completed records have been presented at a variety of local events, ranging from inclusion in a church service to special presentation events and annual church festivals. To ensure succession and to attract new members to the group, the group encourages a good social atmosphere and liaises with the local church community before commencing a new project. The group has conducted its own in-house training, encourages use of the facilities provided by the Church Recording Society and attendance of formal training in the UK where possible. Members of the group include those with a wide knowledge of many aspects of church furnishings and those who specialise in for example, stained glass, photography, or metalwork. The dedication of members and cohesion of the group is appreciated by all involved which has contributed to the longevity of the group and the high standard of records produced. As well as recording, the group produced a Church ‘Trail of Discovery’ for young people to complete as a guide and inspiration for their visit to the Royal Chapel of St John, which is now also used by other visitors.

Previous Winners

King’s Lynn Church Recording Group

The King’s Lynn Church Recording Group has a fascination with the history, development and contents of churches which has been a driving force for the group and the work that they do. The group always records with great enthusiasm and diligence and has now produced a total of 23 Church Records. An example of the results of their research is the discovery of a pair of stained-glass windows by renowned Harry Stammers for Powells in the 1930s. These are the only known windows created by him in East Anglia and are rare examples of his earlier mediaeval style. The work of this lively and well-led Church Recording Group is always appreciated by the beneficiaries. The Group is much respected by the Norfolk Churches Trust, and has contributed a great deal to the Ledgerstone Survey of England.

Woodbridge, South-East Suffolk and Orwell Church Recording Group

This Group brings together the members of three local groups to form one of the largest Church Recording Groups in the country. They first came together 25 years ago and have delivered twelve well-researched and recorded church records. Thorough research, recording and enthusiasm are all hallmarks of the Group. In 2011, they found an original 1611 copy of the King James’ Bible in a forgotten Tower of a church, which they were able to display as part of national celebrations of the 400th Anniversary of its publication. This is one of many unique and intriguing discoveries that the Group has made thanks to their attention to detail. The Group is now recording their 13th church, a sizeable parish church with a large quantity of significant artefacts.