MaintenanceBooker, a new heritage website to keep historic churches and chapels safe for the future was launched last week in England and Wales, following a successful Heritage Lottery Fund pilot project in Yorkshire.

Set up by the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church building support charity, and 2buy2, the national buying group for UK, charities, schools and churches, MaintenanceBooker makes it easy for churches to prevent problems such as leaking roofs and crumbling stonework.

Churches and chapels of all denominations can use MaintenanceBooker to get professional help for essential maintenance tasks, thereby preventing the need for expensive repairs.

Using the website www.maintenancebooker.org.uk churches can book gutter clearance and repairs, lightning protection inspection, tree surveys and maintenance as well as asbestos surveys and removal. More services will be added later in the year, such as stonework and lime mortaring with bat surveys, and grounds and graveyard maintenance in the pipeline.

A video explaining MaintenanceBooker is available at  https://vimeo.com/269895676

For many churches the cost of maintenance can be a major barrier to keeping their building in good repair, so users of MaintenanceBooker can obtain Preventative Maintenance Micro-Grants to help pay for the cost of gutter clearance.

Churches and chapels in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales can now use MaintenanceBooker. The service will be available throughout  the rest of England from 3rd September 2018