Congratulations to St Matthew’s, Surbiton, for winning an award which rates it the UK’s best-maintained church.

The 1874 landmark in St Matthew’s Avenue has scooped the 2021 Nayler Award for Excellence in Church Maintenance.

Team rector the Rev Helen Hancock said she was delighted with the accolade, attributing it to regular volunteer upkeep sessions. The award carries prize money of £7,500.

It was announced by Georgina Nayler, former director of The Pilgrim Trust and after whom the prize is named.

St Matthew’s, which is Grade II* listed and recently completed a three-year spire and tower restoration (pictured), was praised for its volunteer maintenance mornings, accompanied by bacon butties, which encourage the congregation to play their part in keeping the church windproof and watertight.

Twelve churches were shortlisted for this year’s awards.

“We are delighted to have won,” said the rector. “In the last three years we have completed a significant spire and tower repair project. That has helped us to realise that we need to have a regular maintenance plan in place. The work is largely driven by our wonderful volunteers who help St Matthew’s to continue to be a beacon of light.”

She added that it was a huge responsibility to look after a church building of such vintage, and that the award represented a real encouragement to all involved.

St Matthew’s was built between 1874 and 1875, funded by a single benefactor, a senior partner in Coutts Bank. It was designed by a local architect in the neo-Gothic style.

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, which organises the awards, said: “Well done St Matthew’s, the deserved winner. The church is a great example of how having in place a good maintenance plan helps to prevent costly repair bills.

The National Churches Trust is the UK charity supporting churches, chapels and meeting houses so that they remain at the heart of the community. There is a YouTube video detailing this year’s Nayler awards. You have to plough through 32 minutes until you come to Helen Hancock’s contribution, and the formal announcement, at https://youtu.be/mkxcRU-IXmQ