A church which houses a memorial to the victims of the Lockerbie bombing has been honoured at this year's UK National Church Awards.
The National Church Awards – dubbed 'the BAFTAs for churches’ – revealed the 15 UK winners and the UK Church of the Year in a prestigious ceremony held in the ancient Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral.
The awards were co-presented by the new Dean of Lincoln, Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, and Canon Ann Easter, former Chaplain to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Around 200 churches were nominated this year from across the UK, from which a judging panel selected the 55 finalists and 15 winners across five categories, with several awards reserved for churches in the four home nations.
Winning the Church Tourism Awards for Scotland, and declared overall UK Winner in this category, was Tundergarth Parish Church in Dumfries and Galloway.
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Located near Lockerbie, Tundergarth Parish Church has become a place of pilgrimage for many around the world because of its connection to the Pan Am 103 tragedy in 1988.
At the ceremony, host Canon Ann Easter detailed the history of the church, saying: “What makes Tundergarth Parish Church truly unique is its connection to the Pan Am 103 tragedy in 1988. The nose cone of the aeroplane landed just across the road, and the church has become a place of pilgrimage for many around the world. The judges were very impressed and touched by what the church has done.”
In revealing the church as the UK tourism winner, the Very Revd Dr Simon Jones added: “This one is really special. Rarely does an event have a truly global impact on a very small community. I’m going to read from their nomination: ‘On 21 December 1988 a terrorist bomb exploded onboard Pan Am flight 103, a passenger airliner flying from London to New York. Of the 270 victims, 104 of those fell to earth in the immediate vicinity of Tundergarth Kirk. The church was used as a staging post for emergency responders, three of the victims are buried in the kirkyard and year after year people make a pilgrimage to the kirk to remember those who died. We are a warm and welcoming space for all to remember and pay tribute.’”
The judges were impressed that amidst stories of closure from across the UK, volunteers at the church are working hard to keep the building open. Tundergarth Kirk’s Trust was formed to take ownership of the church and keep it open as a place of worship when funding was withdrawn.
Speaking at the ceremony, Michael Thompson, Treasurer at Tundergarth Kirk’s Trust (Lockerbie) said: “This is a humbling award. We work hard in the trust, not only to keep our wee kirk open but also to continue to ensure the innocent victims of the UK's biggest-ever terrorist attack are never forgotten.
"This award reinforces that we are carrying out valued work and providing a place of pilgrimage and solace for so many people across the world.”
Meanwhile, in the Church and Community Volunteer Awards, Dalmilling’s St Quivox in Ayrshire was declared the Scottish winner. The judges were impressed by the level of outreach at Dalmilling’s St Quivox, summed up by the church banner, which reads: 'Together we can do so much’.
Revd John McCutcheon of Dalmilling’s St Quivox said: “[The award] justifies all the hard work and tough decisions that we have made as a church to continually focus on the community and place hard-earned resources into areas which, although not always obvious, do bear good results.”
The awards, now in their third year, are organised by the National Churches Trust and have been inspired this year by the work of the late Lord Patrick Cormack, a champion of church buildings, who dedicated his life to helping to keep the UK’s churches open and in use.
Lincoln Cathedral’s Chapter House saw 100 people gather for the awards, with a further 250 live streams via YouTube from across the UK, with many church groups organising parties to watch the ceremony together. Winning churches took home a range of rewards and mementoes including prize money of £500, £750 and £10,000 (for the Friends award), a display plaque and, for group winners, the award itself, hand-crafted by Craig Mace, one of the cathedral architects, in Lincoln Red stone.
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