St Michael’s Lodge Crowdfunder

An exciting new chapter in the story of St Michael’s Church, Cold Kirby, is beginning, and we would love you to be part of it.

The Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Society is exploring an ambitious future for this beautiful Grade II listed church, which stands beside both the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail and the Cleveland Way.

Our hope is to bring St Michael’s back into use as St Michael’s Lodge, offering simple, affordable accommodation for pilgrims, walkers, cyclists and horse riders travelling through this remarkable part of the North York Moors.

Thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have funding to begin the development work needed to explore whether this vision can become a reality. But the grant does not cover the full cost of this stage of the project, and we need to raise additional funds ourselves.

That is why we have launched our St Michael’s Lodge Crowdfunder.

The money raised will help us undertake the professional, technical and development work needed to investigate the future of the building properly and responsibly. Every contribution, however large or small, will help us take another step forward.

We are working closely with the Diocese of York and the Church Commissioners for England as the proposals develop. An important part of the work will also be engagement with residents of Cold Kirby and other interested parties, giving local people and stakeholders the opportunity to understand the emerging plans, share their views and help shape the proposals.

Any future use of the church will be subject to the statutory processes and public consultation undertaken by the Church Commissioners in accordance with the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. The Crowdfunder therefore supports our exploration and development of the project; it does not presume the outcome of that process. If our work shows that the project is not feasible, or consultation results in a different future for the building, funds raised will be used to support the charitable purposes of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Society.

St Michael’s has stood in Cold Kirby for generations. We now have an opportunity to explore how this special building might continue to offer welcome and hospitality for generations to come.

Please support the Crowdfunder if you can, and just as importantly, help us by sharing it with others.

Together, we can help give St Michael’s a new chapter in its long story.