Bury Parish Church

25.02.2026

We’re delighted to confirm that the Bury Parish Church project is now also being supported by the Benefact Trust team. The Trust have been supporting communities since 1972, and they aim to drive positive social change by empowering people to make a difference.

Having their support means a huge amount to everyone involved in the project. They are a team that recognise that projects like this one are about much more than repairs and restoration – theses projects are about having a positive impact on the wider community 🌳☀️🌳

10.02.2026

The first phase of  the tree work having taken place.

The trees around the entire Church were surveyed in 2022 and many were found to be either dead, diseased, dying or dangerous (suffering from Ash die back). The trees were assessed again in late 2025 and it was determined that a significant number needed to be removed for safety. The majority of these works have now taken place and will be complete by Friday 13th February

We wanted to communicate that, in order to access the trees, it was necessary to temporarily move some memorial vases and ornaments, but these have now been put back in place. The grassed areas have been left damaged as the size of the trees meant large machinery was required, so some damage to the lawns was inevitable. This will be a short-term issue until re-seeding can take place in the Spring growing season

With respect to the trees which have been felled (13 in total); we have proposals for 25 new trees to replace those felled. These are predominantly smaller species/varieties, and more ornamental including those with a long historical association with graveyards and churches such as yew, holly, hawthorn and oak.

The new trees will be planted in the autumn along with additional spring bulbs in the wider churchyard 🌳.

02.02.2026

Contractors are now on site at Bury Church, and the tree works have started. Take a look at the Tree Heroes team on site here: Bury Church Tree Works Video.

In the clip, you can see that the team started by tackling a large tree which has Ash Dieback. The tree has been monitored by specialists for 4 years but, unfortunately, it showed no signs of recovery in that time so the only option was to remove it. However, replacement trees will be planted on the site in the Autumn 🌳

26.01.2026

Contractors will begin tree works at Bury Church w/c 2nd February, 2026. The works will focus on the trees that are either dead, diseased, dying, or dangerous. They are expected to be on site for two weeks, weather permitting.

Please note that parts of the outdoor space may be closed during this time, and that construction vehicles may be on site too.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause – but we do hope that you will enjoy visiting again when the works have been completed 🌳🌳🌳

If you have any questions about the works, please email [email protected]

04.12.2025

It’s been a while since we’ve updated you, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes… conversations with schools, artists, historians, contractors and volunteers. Everything is coming together brilliantly, and we’re pleased to let you know that contractors will start work at the Bury Church site in May, 2026!

We’ll keep you posted about all community activities and capital works on this webpage – so do keep checking back for details 🌳

01.09.2025

Great news… thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bury Council and the Bury Parish Church the historic 400-year-old ledger stones will be safely preserved and re-sited within the church grounds so they can be protected for the future!

Just a reminder that, as well as restoring the historic ledger stones, the project will include activities such as working with local schools and Bury residents to research the people who are named on the stones and photographing and documenting the details, so the church has a permanent record.

Other planned works includes repairs to the stone steps and walls within the grounds, improved drainage, a new stone mounting for the sundial, and planting in the church gardens. New historical and environmental interpretation panels will also be installed allowing visitors to learn more about the heritage of the site☀️🌳🌼

05.01.2025

Happy New Year! Just an update to let you know that we’re still working on funding options for the project. Looking for funding can take some time. We’ll continue to work on this over the coming months, and we’ll more share details with you when we can 🙂

05.10.2023

Funding applications are in, and we hope to have news by the end of this year. Fundraising can be a long process, and we do appreciate your patience and continued support as we work on the applications. When we have more information, we’ll update you here – so do check back for details again soon.

08.08.2023

Thanks to everyone for their patience as we move forward with the Bury Parish Church project. We’ve now submitted some funding applications and we hope to get news about them soon. As soon as we find out if the funding has been secured, we’ll let you know 🙂

25.02.2020

Really great to see that this project has been covered locally by The Bury Times – full article available here.

Thanks to everyone for their support and feedback so far – we’ll update you again soon.

20.01.2020

A sketch and brief questionnaire outlining some plans for the church area are now ready for everyone to take a look at. If you could take a few minutes to let us know your thoughts and feedback, we’d be really grateful. You can click to enlarge the sketch design below and answer the survey questions by clicking this link to the Bury Parish Church Survey

Thank you for your help – we’ll keep you updated as the project moves forward.

20.06.2019

Proffitts are delighted to be working with Bury Borough Council and the parishioners of Bury Parish Church

Access ways to the site have deteriorated over time and need to be improved so that further accidents can be avoided and all visitors can access the church safely, and also to allow disabled visitors to safely reach the church. The group offer activities and facilities for all section of the community, not just church goers. There are regular concerts, the church supports its choir, scouting and guiding, and toddler groups and there is a café open to all across the week. The approach that cars use at the moment is damaging historical ledger stones which have been part of the grounds for hundreds of years. As part of the project we hope to improve safety and access as this is the only route for wheelchair and pram access, but, crucially, we want to protect the heritage and conserve the names and stones in danger of being damaged beyond repair.