Welcome ...
and thank you for visiting our website; I do hope you find what you are looking for.
We are most grateful to the many people who support us in our work and you can be assured of a warm welcome at any of our events.
Mr John Clark
Chairman
Shropshire is richly endowed with historic churches ....
There are over 300 Anglican churches in regular use and many churches and chapels of other denominations. Most of these are over 700 years old. Many of our churches are Listed Buildings, which signifies that they are of outstanding architectural and historic interest. Responsibility for their maintenance and repair falls upon the individual parishes; they are not maintained or financed by the Church Commissioners, Diocese or State. In Shropshire most churches are in rural areas where the congregations are often small and need help to cope with repairs, which are often urgent and expensive. This is where the Trust may be able to help.
Contact Us
For membership enquiries click here.
Officers and Trustees who can answer many enquiries are listed here.
If you cannot find a suitable person there for your query, please click here.
We have set up a Facebook page which you can visit by clicking here.
Gardens Open 2026
The Gardens Open leaflet 2026 can be opened and downloaded here.
Thirteen gardens and trails are open this year, including three new ones.
All the gardens open are on the Events page, here.
Thank you very much to everyone who opened their gardens for the Trust last year and thank you to Mr Peter Daborn, Director of Savills for so kindly sponsoring the Gardens Open Leaflets.
Ride+Stride will be on Saturday 12 September 2026. If you are on holiday or otherwise occupied on the 12th, you can be sponsored for another day.
We had an excellent event in 2025, raising £44,817. A new record! In 2024 it was £38,446, which was a record itself, so the increase is magnificent. Thank you to everyone involved in 2024 and 2025, visiting some of our Open Churches and being sponsored to do so. Ride+Stride is our biggest annual fundraiser, helping us to continue grants at the current level.
Thank you for the open churches, often with light refreshments. About 85% of Anglican churches were open, and several other denominations. Some in Shrewsbury town centre had over 60 visitors in 2025. Some churches in areas where R+S is still 'under the radar' had few visitors, or none. Nevertheless, thank you everyone for being open, because the event is growing, and we need open churches to continue flourishing. If the churches are not open, we can't call it an Open Church Day, and then the event would begin to collapse. We can't have that, can we? Remember - no need to staff your church if it's safe to leave open and unstaffed.
David Hardham writes: "I have been the County Organiser for 5 years, starting in 2021, (during lockdown!), but now I'm stepping back to let younger brains take over. I will continue to help in the background. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me over the years".
Rachel & John Pittaway (New County Organisers) shrops.ridestride@gmail.com
A Prayer for the Churches of Shropshire
Almighty God our heavenly Father, we remember before you, now, the churches in this county of Shropshire and the houses of worship they use.
Make the doors of our churches wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and a Father's care, and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and lack of love.
In them may the tempted find help, the sorrowing receive comfort, the careless be awakened to repentance, the penitent be assured of your mercy. And there may all your children renew their strength and go on their way in hope and joy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen