How to reimagine the future of churches
Churches are at risk unless they find new uses for their buildings, says a report by Cambridge Judge Business School and the Diocese of Ely, lead authored by Helen Haugh of Cambridge Judge. Dr Helen Haugh A third of church…
REACH Ely project is collecting audit data on the wider community use of church buildings
The REACH Ely project is collecting audit data about church buildings from the church communities in the Diocese of Ely. The aim of the audit is to gather evidence of the wider community use of church buildings and the contribution…
The many shapes of Cambridge Judge Business School engagement in challenging times
At Cambridge Judge Business School, we pride ourselves in our commitment to engaging with businesses, policy-makers and civil-society organisations. We believe that knowledge can be a powerful tool to help different players to improve their practices, policies and to develop…
Cambridge Independent: Cambridge Judge study helps reimagine churches for today’s communities
Dr Timur Alexandrov, Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, comments on churches and the impact on their communities during COVID-19 lockdown. “Texting, messaging, emailing, video conferencing and social media channels have become some of the ways to reconnect and…
REACH Ely Team recorded a podcast
The research team of the REACh Ely has recorded the first podcast to talk about the project’s progress, challenges that churches in smaller communities are facing, and future implications. The REACH Ely team recording their podcast Listen to the podcast Alternatively, you…
Closed but connected
How church communities are coping with COVID-19. Interior of St Mary the Virgin church in Feltwell. Photo credit: Dr Timur Alexandrov By Dr Timur Alexandrov, Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation Churches in the time of a modern pandemic…
The first batch of case studies is published
The REACH Ely project has produced the first batch of case studies. Colourfully illustrated case studies cover urban (Newnham in Cambridge) and rural parishes (Foxton, Linton, Bartlow, and the Abingtons) of the Diocese of Ely, each offering themselves for the…
Cambridge Social Innovation Blog: Renewing the vows between church and community: The REACH Ely Project
Everywhere you turn in the British Isles you see church spires reaching towards the celestial firmament. The presence of churches and their friendly towers are especially noticeable as one travels through the flat fen land of Cambridgeshire. Proudly announcing their…
REACH Ely case studies in development
The initial stage of the REACH Ely implementation involves scoping and developing fifty case studies on church buildings and community characteristics with informants from a subset of deaneries and parishes in the Diocese of Ely. The team is selecting case…
Presentations of REACH Ely
REACH Ely, a three-year project to help communities make fuller use of their historic churches, has recently been presented to the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance and Rural Deans. Presentation at the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance in London (l-r) Timur Alexandrov…
