More than fifty grotesque faces look down from the steeple of St Helen’s, Biscathorpe, Lincolnshire onto a building that is coming apart beneath them. The ceilings are collapsing, the spire is funnelling water through the nave, the chancel arch is on the move. Built in 1847 by local architect W.A. Nicholson, this Grade II* listed church is significant for its complete Victorian interior — and it has been losing its battle against neglect for years. Now partially exposed to the elements, Historic England rates it in 'very bad' condition, at immediate risk of further deterioration, and among the most endangered Victorian churches in the country.

Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said: "It is a delicate and fascinating work of architecture and a remarkable survival — urgent repairs are clearly now required. In the longer term, a sensitive new use for it is needed, one that preserves the lovely and largely intact interior and its original suite of furnishings."

At Dinefwr in Carmarthenshire, a small medieval church sits hidden in rolling parkland and woodland. St Tyfi’s was first recorded in 1291 and has been locked and silent since 1961, its roof timbers rotting where the weather gets in. Cadw, too, lists it as At Risk. St Tyfi's closed in 1961. The church has had a chequered 65 years - some highs, but a lot of lows. Now, the church is officially designated ‘At Risk’. It's risk level is rated ‘Category 3’ meaning its condition is worsening and the church is ‘vulnerable’, suffering from severe decay of the roof timbers, invasive vegetation and defective drainage.

When you enter St Tyfi’s, you'll be met with colourful bunting strung from all the wall-plates. The insistent cheerfulness of the bunting has for us, become a symbol of this church, its people, and its defiance and determination to keep going. From some years now, St Tyfi’s has been supported by an indefatigable group of four local men. However, the repair needs are mounting and their hope of being able organise and finance the repairs moving ever further out of reach.

We want to work with this local group and take this hidden church into our ownership. We want to repair it and make it safe for people to use and enjoy for decades to come. Plastic underlay on the roof coupled with a pervasive damp environment has resulted in a fungal outbreak in the roof timbers. The rot, particularly to the purlins, is severe.

If we are to undertake all the repairs that are necessary at St Tyfi’s, we would be looking at a bill somewhere in the region of £650,000.

This is exactly what Friends of Friendless Churches exists to do. We are a national charity, and we rescue the listed churches that no one else will, taking them permanently into our care and keeping them open to everyone, free, for good. In our seventy years we have rescued 71 of them. With your help, St Helen’s and St Tyfi’s will be next. We will take on their repair, their upkeep and their future, so that two buildings now close to ruin become places people can walk into again for generations.

Saving a church is slow, costly work. A single repair can take months simply to reach site: planning, permissions, funding, and the search for craftspeople who still understand lime mortar, historic stonework, or how a medieval roof holds itself up. Since places of worship lost their VAT exemption, the cost of all of it rose by 20% overnight. Together, these two churches will cost more than £1 million to save. 

And yet it can be done. In 2024, more than a thousand people helped us rescue four churches that were running out of time. Among them was St Twrog’s, high above Anglesey, where a carved bull’s head has watched visitors arrive since the reign of Henry VII. Left any longer, the rain and the wind would have continued their long, patient work, and reclaimed it for their own. Now, it stands tall in a churchyard full of bluebells and campion, protected against the elements for decades to come.

Ivor Bulmer-Thomas founded the Friends on a single conviction: that no building worth saving should be lost for want of someone to care. In our seventieth year, with every pound you give worth two, you can help us prove him right.

The match runs until 31 March 2027, or until we reach our target. Every donation, legacy and grant we receive will be doubled. Whatever you can manage will be put to work the day it arrives. Please do act now.