Seven church projects offering outstanding service to their communities have received awards from the United Reformed Church (URC) General Assembly meeting at The Hayes in Swanwick from 4-7 July.
The URC’s Community Awards partner for the past 16 years has been the insurance company Congregational.
In 2025, Congregational has funded awards of £2,000 for each of the three winning projects and four awards of £1,000 for four Highly Commended projects. The 2025 awards bring the number of churches that have received awards to 82 who have received a total of £150,000.
This year’s winners are Dove Dementia Cafe, Diss URC in Norfolk; Food with Friends, Rivertown URC in Shotton, North Wales; and Food for Thought, Union Church Margate in Kent.
The four Highly Commended projects are Forget-Me-Not Café, St Andrews Roundhay URC in Leeds; Stepping Out for the Community, Longton URC, Stoke on Trent; Vine Gardening Club, Vine URC in Ilford, Essex; and Soupermums, Wilsden Trinity Church near Bradford.
The Revd Tim Meadows, Moderator of the URC General Assembly, said the awards recognise projects that “demonstrate the love of God and the mission of the Church by reaching out in many different ways to help the local communities in which our churches serve”.
Award winners
Dove Dementia Cafe, Diss URC in Norfolk
Dove Dementia Café is heled monthly for people living with dementia and their carers. The café opened its doors in January 2015 to just one person with dementia, but now regularly hosts between 50 and 60 people for lunch, supported by a team of 20 volunteers.
[embedded content]
Other branches of community support have grown out of the café’s work: Dove Song (a music therapy group for people with dementia), Dove Afternoon Tea (which allows people to access informal worship), Dove Song Plus (a singing group for those with complex needs living in local residential homes), and Dovelets, which is a sensory play, messy play and music group for children with special needs.
Food with Friends, Rivertown URC in Shotton, North Wales
Food with Friends is an ecumenical project that offers a free two-course meal to anyone in need every Tuesday all year round, even on Christmas Day. The project operates in an area of multiple deprivation with high levels of food insecurity and aims to address food poverty, combat loneliness, maintain dignity, and demonstrate God’s love in action.
[embedded content]
During the Covid pandemic, the project adapted by distributing sandwiches at the door. This is something that some guests still prefer, so food is always available to take away. In addition to meals, fresh short-dated food donated by local stores through FareShare is available for guests to take home.
Food for Thought, Union Church Margate in Kent
Food for Thought celebrates Margate’s richly diverse community by hosting a dynamic programme of speakers at Union Church.
[embedded content]
The monthly, family-friendly gathering offers a free breakfast and hot drink. It features thoughts and insights on topics from fine art to folk music while touching on issues of faith and spirituality. Discussion and engagement is encouraged and the gathering welcomes people of all faiths and none, creatives, members of the LBGT+ community and people of all ages and political views.
Highly Commended
Forget-Me-Not Café, St Andrews Roundhay URC in Leeds
The Forget Me Not café provides a safe, welcoming space for people with dementia and their carers. The café has been running twice a month since August 2024 and aims to become a hub for information, signposting and advice about dementia resources in the area.
[embedded content]
St Andrew’s is set in the Roundhay area of North East Leeds, an area that is home to a large number of older people, many of whom live alone.
Stepping Out for the Community, Longton URC, Stoke on Trent
Located in one of the poorest cities in the UK, Longton URC congregation set out to be more active within its community, taking it one step at a time. It has recruited volunteers to share the Bible with children in a local primary school and another team distributes tinned and packaged food provided by the Foodbank warehouse.
[embedded content]
Step three was to offer a warm, safe ‘Welcome Space’ for those struggling to meet ever-increasing fuel bills. Finally, acknowledging that the pool of volunteers from within the congregation was almost exhausted, the latest step has been to strengthen links with ecumenical partners and organise joint events.
Vine Gardening Club, Vine URC in Ilford, Essex
Vine URC’s gardening club was formed in 2023 with residents from the Malachi project, a pop-up hostel in Ilford run by the Salvation Army for previously homeless people.
[embedded content]
The club aims to create a pollinator-friendly on a previously unloved piece of land outside the church’s community house. It provides food and colourful flowers. It is also a place where Malachi residents are welcomed and grow in wellbeing. Several residents bring experience of farming, carpentry and building.
Soupermums, Wilsden Trinity Church near Bradford
For over ten years, Soupermums has supported over 900 babies and their parents/ carers. It provides care, support, encouragement and love to parents at a time of significant change in their lives following the birth of a child(ren).
[embedded content]
A group of Christian mums and dads who belong to Wilsden Trinity Church offer soup, a song for the babies and a poem or prayer for parents to keep. Above all, Soupermums is a place parents and carers to relax and enjoy being looked after.