Nearly £250,000 has been awarded to The Church of England in Lancashire to invest in a major new ‘Choir Church’ project.

The three-year £249,530 initiative will seek to launch up to 24 new, original, congregations across the county in parishes and working alongside local schools. The aim for each congregation is for at least 25 children, along with their families to become part of each Choir Church. The children will be taught hymns and anthems from the choral tradition. 

Lancashire’s Choir Churches will include regular worship and will be formed on the back of similar successful projects in East London parishes and schools. This has been inspired by outreach work from St Paul’s Cathedral led by Tom Daggett. a musician of St Paul’s Cathedral and associate of the Choir Church Foundation.  

Tom, who went to  St Wilfrid’s CofE Academy has returned to the county to support the Choir Church project.

A former Blackburn Cathedral Chorister; Tom will continue to be involved in the Lancashire Choir Churches on a consultancy basis.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Leading the project day-to-day for the Diocese will be John Robinson (above), Director of Music at Blackburn Cathedral alongside a, yet to be announced,  ‘Choir Church Coordinator’ also based at the Cathedral.  

The Bishop of Burnley, Rt Rev. Philip North, is project sponsor.  He said:: "We are so grateful to the national church for this funding.

"I came to faith through the choral tradition myself and it is wonderful news that a new generation will be able to benefit from the many ways that music lifts the human soul."

Bishop Philip added: “This is a fantastic initiative; we are delighted to be pioneering Choir Church in our Diocese on a scale never before attempted.

“With our Choir Church Project we aim to connect home, church and school in a fresh approach to outreach; providing opportunities in places where they may not be available otherwise.”