Churches Unlocked Festival

Churches across South Wales will be opening their doors and inviting people to explore their heritage next month.

Thirty churches from the Diocese of Llandaff and the Diocese of Monmouth are taking part in this year's Churches Unlocked Festival which takes place from June 3-11. Events include walks and talks around the history and heritage of their area, family fun, music, arts, workshops and Welsh language events.

Sarah Perons, Churches Development Officer at Llandaff Diocese and leader of the project, said, “Churches Unlocked 2022 was very much an experiment but we were thrilled with the success of the project with more than 3,000 people visiting or participating in events at the 10 churches. We’re delighted to have 10 churches from neighbouring Monmouth Diocese join us this year, as well as another 20 from Llandaff."

The Archdeacon of Monmouth, Ian Rees, said, “Having heard about the success of the first Churches Unlocked in 2022 and having visited one of the open churches myself, it is wonderful for Monmouth Diocese to be involved this year. Our church buildings represent a massive treasure, but they are too often closed, other than for services or occasional other events.

“As we increasingly focus on being outward-looking in mission, we have an opportunity to extend an invitation to people to come and look around our buildings, and be inspired by the history, as well as the generations that have worshipped there before us. But it’s also an opportunity to show how we are telling the Christian story today and our buildings are important tools in doing that. I have no doubt that Churches Unlocked will be a success for those taking part from Monmouth Diocese and we look forward to it growing in years to come.”