Church Accessibility Training & Awards

Helping every church become a place where all are seen, heard and belong.

Growing Hope is passionate about helping churches become places where everyone can join in.

Thanks to funding from the Church of England, churches across set dioceses can access our Accessibility Training and Awards free of charge until July 2027* (subject to availability)

Whether you’re just beginning to think about accessibility, or you’re looking to build on what you’re already doing, there’s an option to suit your church.

This offer is open to Church of England churches in the following dioceses, with more due to join soon:

  • Durham
  • Derby
  • Leeds
  • Southwark

Not in one of these dioceses or a Church of England church? No problem! You can still access training and awards with Growing Hope. Find out more about our Accessibility Engagement work for churches outside of the Church of England project here.

 

Make an Enquiry Explore the Options

Choose from four support options

Accessibility Training

A practical 2–2.5 hours session designed for anyone involved in church life, including:

  • Children’s and youth teams

  • Welcome teams

  • Pastoral teams

  • Clergy

  • PCC members

  • Churchwardens

  • Volunteers

Developed by therapists, this interactive training helps churches better understand additional needs and provides practical tools to create a more accessible and welcoming church for everyone.

Leaders Accessibility Training

A collaborative workshop bringing together up to five churches, with 1–3 leaders from each church attending.

This training is designed to equip church leaders to champion accessibility within their own churches, share ideas with others and develop practical action plans for lasting change.

Accessibility Award

Receive a tailored accessibility review through an in-person Sunday visit and detailed report. We would also love to come and share at your church the work we are doing and explain what the award is about briefly at the Sunday service. 

The award recognises churches at Bronze, Silver or Gold level and looks at five key areas:

  • A culture of welcome

  • A named Accessibility Coordinator

  • Physical accessibility

  • Multisensory worship and ministry

  • Preparation for people with additional needs

The award celebrates what your church is already doing well while identifying practical next steps to improve accessibility.

Remote Accessibility Award

A flexible online alternative to the Accessibility Award.

Through a remote video call with a therapist, churches receive practical recommendations and an accessibility certificate without requiring an in-person visit.

This option provides a great starting point for churches wanting to strengthen accessibility.

 

Meet the team:

All of our training sessions and awards are delivered by experienced professionals with therapeutic skill sets who combine clinical expertise with a passion for helping churches become places where everyone can participate, belong and flourish. Our programmes have been developed by occupational and speech therapists, informed by people with lived experience of additional needs and shaped in consultation with Diocesan Disability Advisors. 

Beth Stockwood

Beth Stockwood

Beth Stockwood

Accessibility Engagement Manager

Beth is an experienced Speech and Language Therapist who has worked with children and families across a variety of settings. She is trained in a range of therapeutic approaches and is passionate about delivering support that is both engaging and practical. Beth is committed to supporting the whole family. She has a particular interest in helping families feel seen, heard and fully included within the church community.

Trainer title

Jacintha Robinson

Jacintha Robinson

Accessibility Engagement Officer

Jacintha is the Accessibility Engagement Officer at Growing Hope, bringing over 15 years’ experience across the corporate, public and community sectors. Her background includes partnership development, stakeholder engagement, programme coordination and community-led initiatives, working with senior leaders, charities, businesses and faith organisations. She is skilled at building meaningful relationships and developing collaborative projects that create lasting social impact. Her experience supporting people with learning disabilities and additional needs has strengthened her commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Driven by her Christian faith and heart for service, Jacintha is passionate about helping organisations build stronger, more welcoming communities where children and families feel supported and valued.

Accessibility Trainers

We will shortly be joined by a team of four Accessibility Trainers who will be providing training and awards programme to our primary dioceses.

Ongoing support

Accessibility is a journey, not a one-off event.

After completing any of our training or awards, we’ll continue to support your church through follow-up conversations at:

  • 3 months
  • 1 year
  • 2 years

These reviews help celebrate progress, measure impact and identify opportunities for continued development.

Not sure which option is right for your church? Compare the four options below or get in touch and we’d be happy to help you decide.

Suggested donation

Thanks to Church of England funding, churches can access one training session or one award free of charge until July 2027 and for a significantly reduced cost from July 2027-December 2028.

We ask churches, where they are able, to make a suggested donation towards the cost of delivering this work.

Where a church wishes to participate in more than one award and one training session, they can choose to pay for this from Growing Hope at a flat discounted rate of £200 for Training and £300 for an award. This will be invoiced separately to the project and the sliding scale process which is being used for training and awards within the offer.

Ready to get involved?

We’d love to support your church in becoming more welcoming and accessible for everyone.

Get in touch to find out more or book your training or Accessibility Award.