Two churches in the Diocese of St Asaph have won prestigious awards in the National Church Awards 2023.

Holy Trinity Church in Trefnant in the Denbigh Mission Area was the Wales winner in The Church and Community Volunteer Awards. These celebrate the contribution which volunteers make to both looking after and making best use of churches to benefit local communities and people.

St Peter’s Church in Llanbedr in the Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area was the country winner in the Church Tourism Awards, which encourages churches to be open and welcoming for visitors to explore.

A third church, St Nefydd and St Mary in Llannefydd also in Denbigh Mission Area, narrowly missed out to St Peter’s, Llanbedr in the Church Tourism Awards. The congregation in Llannefydd set up a bilingual display about ‘the Mother of Wales’, Katheryn of Berain, and open the church every day, offering a ‘Pilgrims’ Pod’ for refreshments.

Representatives of both Holy Trinity and St Peter’s were at the award ceremony at The Mercers Hall in London yesterday (6 November). They were presented with their award by actor and comedian Hugh Dennis. All the winning churches are being encouraged to be open on Saturday 18 November for visitors to call in.

The Mission Area Leader of Denbigh, the Revd Rebecca Sparey-Taylor, was joined by Ann Bowers to collect the award on behalf of Holy Trinity Trefnant. Rebecca said: “We are delighted to receive this award. It is a real validation of all the hard work put in by members of the congregation in Trefnant, who are always warm, engaging and welcoming. The team make a big difference to the church and are having a growing impact on the community.

“We submitted our application based on Prayers and Bears, which started as a service, crafts, toys and coffee morning for babies who had been born in the village during Covid and who had never seen anyone outside of their own families. We now regularly see more than 25 children. We run a book club, a youth group, hold village events and collect for the local foodbank.”

In Llanbedr, St Peter’s recently re-opened after a re-ordering project to make the space more flexible and install a kitchen area and toilets. Outside the church, there is an outdoor chapel and labyrinth for visitors to explore in their own time. The award to St Peter’s was collected by the Mission Area Leader of Dyffryn Clwyd, the Revd Huw Bryant, along with Gwenda Williams and Myron Lloyd. Huw said: “This is the second of the Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area churches to receive an award. Last year, St Saeran Church in Llanynys was awarded for being open to visitors. It’s good to know our hard work is being recognised.

“Being open is more than just having the door unlocked. Being open is a state of mind, a way of being, a theology and the heart of the gospel we proclaim. Strangely it took being locked during the pandemic for us to discover this … and now we could never close the door again.

“The church is never closed; the door is always open and fresh coffee and cakes available whenever you like. The churchyard is managed for wildflowers with secluded spaces, plenty of seating and even a lavender planted labyrinth.”

On Saturday 18 November, St Peter’s will be open as usual all day and from 10am – 12noon, the local school will be holding its School Christmas Fayre.

Earlier this year, St Peter’s became the first church in Wales to be awarded a Gold Eco-Church award in recognition of its commitment to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of what they do. The award came from the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, who acknowledged their commitment to the environment through their worship and teaching, use of buildings and land, community and global engagement and by making lifestyle changes.

In 2022, three churches from the diocese scooped top awards at the National Church Awards. St Paul’s Church in Rhosesmor which runs The Outpost, a community shop, was the overall winner of the Church and Community Volunteer Award, beating other churches from England, Scotland and north Ireland.

St Saeran Church in Llanynys near Ruthin was the country winner for Wales in the Open for Visitors Award (Tourism Award). Ss Deiniol and Marcella in Marchwiel near Wrexham was the country winner for Wales in the Excellence in Church Maintenance Award.

The Diocese of St Asaph looks after more than 200 churches and 50 schools across north-east and mid-Wales. It stretches from Llandudno in the west to Newtown in the south and is bordered by the River Conwy to the west and the border with England to the east. It is one of the six dioceses making up the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.