Wigan vicar leads first meeting of church delegates since start of pandemic

The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn diocese) hosted a gathering of diocesan advisory committee (DAC) secretaries and chairmen.

Delegates congregated from across the "northern province” of the Church of England for a conference at diocesan offices in Blackburn.

Hosting the event was DAC chairman for the the Blackburn diocese, the Reverend Canon Andrew Holliday, who is also the rector of Standish, and Jen Read, DAC secretary for the diocese.

Mr Holliday said: "It is an enormous privilege to be able to host this first gathering of northern province colleagues for several years.

"We are delighted to be able to meet together and prayerfully consider the importance of our buildings and supporting our parishes; all in the context of using our buildings for mission and ministry on behalf of our local communities everywhere in the north of England."

The DAC in each diocese is an advisory body, which gives advice to churches about proposals for work to their buildings, including furnishings and fittings, as well as advice on heating, lighting, audio-visual equipment and conservation of historic objects. They also give advice on work in churchyards, including on archaeology and trees.

Delegates at the conference discussed a wide range of topics, including sustainability of buildings and bats in churches.

Among those in attendance were representatives from dioceses including Chester, Carlisle, Sheffield, York, Leeds, Durham and Liverpool.