There have been a couple of changes recently in Cuthbert House personnel dealing with church buildings. Dan Spraggon, formerly Buildings for Mission Secretary, has transferred to become Church Buildings Support Officer, principally dealing with seeking and securing suitable alternative uses for closed churches. This is a new post using funding from the National Church and creates local capacity to deal with an increasing workload.
The role of Buildings for Mission Secretary has been taken up by Martin Howard. This includes the work of Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) Secretary and involves supporting parishes to develop proposals to make their buildings more suitable for worship and mission and liaising with parishes and grant funders. Martin is warmly welcomed to the Cuthbert House Team.
Martin will henceforth be the main port of call for DAC work and can be contacted via 07586 090996 and/or martin.howard@durham.anglican.org. The DAC offers advice in connection with proposed works to churches and churchyards as part of the Faculty Jurisdiction.
On starting work with Durham Diocese Martin said: “As the new Buildings for Mission Secretary within the diocese I am really looking forward to working with the DAC as it supports churches in improvements of their buildings.
“As we move forward as a Diocese it is vital that our buildings are able to support the mission of the local church whilst maintaining the rich heritage of many of our buildings.
“My career to date has involved work in both the construction/building industry as well as education. I studied Civil Engineering with Architecture at Leeds University and worked in the construction industry before moving into education as a Design Technology Teacher. During my twenty-five years in education I held several senior leadership and consultancy roles in the North West and North East of England.
“Over recent years I have run my own successful property maintenance business. Outside of work I have been actively involved in my local churches in many roles including over twenty years on Parochial Church Councils and five years as a churchwarden. I have also served on the governing boards of three schools. I am looking forward to bringing my wide range of experience to this new role.
“I live in Eaglescliffe with my wife and six children and worship at All Saints Preston-on-Tees. When I do have some free time I enjoy walking, caravanning and wood turning.”