Churches from across the Diocese were celebrated last night, 12 May, at the 2026 Church Transformation Awards. Held at St James Church, Mangotsfield, the awards recognised outstanding projects from the past year that have transformed church buildings to better support worship, mission and community life, celebrating the hard work and commitment of volunteers and staff.
Formerly known as the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) Awards, the Church Transformation Awards highlight completed projects that demonstrate exceptional workmanship, creativity and long-term vision. This year’s event introduced the inaugural ‘People’s Award’, which was decided through a public online vote.
Canon Simon Pugh-Jones, Chair of the DAC, said:
“These awards recognise and celebrate something remarkable. The care and maintenance of our church buildings is not easy. To do so to an exemplary standard, in ways which further mission and service, is a real achievement. It has been a privilege for the Bristol DAC to support these parishes in these transformational projects.”
This year, seven outstanding projects were chosen as recipients of awards, including:
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All Saints, Lydiard Millicent transformed their building through a comprehensive reordering project, including the removal of pews, new flooring, improved heating, the creation of a kitchen and a new, accessible toilet.
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Bristol Cathedral improved the accessibility of their Seafarers’ Chapel through a conservation focused floor restoration project which also preserved the character of the 14th‑century chapel. The project was praised for its craftsmanship, attention to detail and inclusive design.
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Holy Trinity Church, Horfield significantly improved access to their church building through their landscaping project, replacing an old and unsafe path with a new, durable and accessible route linking the church and the car park.
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St Giles, Stanton St Quintin installed a new stained-glass window depicting the tree of life, gifted anonymously to represent the generations who sustained worship in the church over previous centuries. For this project, St Giles was also awarded the 2026 People’s Award.
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St Peter’s, Filton undertook a major heating system installation, providing effective heating for the first time in many years and taking a significant step toward Net Zero Carbon. The installation includes eight Halo heaters in the Nave, suspended from the concrete roof space, and nine Summit heaters between the Lady Chapel and Coffee Shop.
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St Philip and St James, Neston transition from a gas‑fired wet heating system to a fully electric heating solution to improve comfort, efficiency and carbon emissions. The installation includes sixty under‑pew heaters in the nave, heaters in the sanctuary and organist’s area, infrared wall heaters in the chancel and panel heaters throughout ancillary rooms.
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Holy Rood, Rodbourne's project focused on bringing water into the church building, installing a simple hand‑built kitchen in the vestry, and creating a new community space through the removal of pews at the back of the church.
Planning is already underway for the 2027 Church Transformation Awards, with ambitions to build on this year’s momentum and celebrate even more projects that are helping churches serve their communities in new and sustainable ways.
If you have a church building project that you would like to put forward for an award in 2027, contact church.buildings@bristoldiocese.org to speak to the team about how to get involved.