Churches Tourism Association

Marion Welham has been appointed Church Buildings & Tourism Officer for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, largely funded by the English Heritage Support Officer programme. As part of the Landmarks Suffolk Churches Tourism project, she aims to raise the profile of Suffolk churches to visitors and to help them share and interpret their heritage to all comers. Her work can be seen on the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich Church Tourism webpage. It includes a list of churches that are always open, an events diary, examples of best practice in welcoming visitors and a section on Open Churches Week 2010 July 17-23.

Marion’s role is also concerned with supporting parishes in maintaining their church buildings in opening and adapting them for the wider community. Her monthly newsletter ‘Inspiring Spaces’ appears on the above tourism website pages.

The Wayland Partnership Development Trust was established with the aim to promote the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being of the Wayland area (the market town of Watton and its thirteen hinterland parishes) in the Breckland District of Norfolk.

A feasibility study identified sustainable tourism as one of the key means of regeneration for this area, and it was decided that Wayland’s range of eighteen fascinating flint-stone churches should play a key role in this. Church Tours were introduced in 2002 for which funding was obtained from the Local Heritage Initiative, a Partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency; the East of England Development Agency and the Breckland Cultural Package. Website:wayland.org.uk.