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New Futures: Former Places of Worship – Summer Workshop Series 2026

Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) is hosting a series of informative workshops on community ownership of former places of worship as part of the New Futures: Former Places of Worship programme. The purpose of the workshops is to provide specific information on key topics and to increase awareness of the support and guidance available to help steer communities through the process of taking a historic church into community ownership and securing its long-term future as a community asset.

This series will include two workshops with guest speakers and two drop-in events to provide a chance for learning exchange, discussion and Q+A. These workshops are not part of our rolling series and therefore won’t be repeated.

The workshops are free to attend, held online and will be hosted by COSS and feature selected guest speakers. Each workshop is open to individuals and community groups interested in taking former places of worship into community ownership. More information and registration can be found at our Eventbrite page.

The workshop programme is available to book by following the Eventbrite links:

Heritage and Contents – Thursday 21st May 2026, 13:00-14:30

  • Places of worship hold shared memories, cultural heritage, artefacts and are often significant architecturally. This workshop will focus on how communities may recognise the heritage importance of a former place of worship when considering community ownership. During this workshop you will hear presentations from Research in Action on Church Heritage (ReACH) and Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Drop In – Fundraising – Tuesday 2nd June, 12:00-13:30

  • This event will provide a chance for community organisations looking to take ownership of a former place of worship to share their experiences of fundraising and learn about examples of different fundraising methods. This ‘Drop In’ session on fundraising will include a Q+A and discussion so come along with any questions you have. The Churches Advisors of the New Futures: Former Places of Worship programme will introduce crowdfunding methods as well as mainstream funders and will share examples of recent case studies.

Listed Building Consent – Tuesday 23rd June, 13:00-14:30

  • Any group considering taking on a former place of worship will have to engage with the planning system, navigating change of use, listed building consent and the consequences of ecclesiastical exemption. This workshop will include a presentation from Historic Environment Scotland and will focus on Listed Building Consent which is the planning process associated with listed buildings. The workshop will clarify the situations were Listed Building Consent may be required and will provide an overview of the application process.

Drop In – Involving Your Community – Thursday 2nd July, 13:00-14:30

  • This event will provide a chance for community organisations looking to take ownership of a former place of worship to share their experiences of getting their community involved. The Churches Advisors of the New Futures: Former Places of Worship programme will share top tips on how to ensure meaningful community engagement. This ‘Drop In’ session on community engagement will include a Q+A and discussion so come along with any questions you have.