The diocese has appointed a new Church Buildings Support Officer, Miranda Bird, who started in June 2026, replacing Faye Edwardes, who left to take up a national role.

Miranda will support parishes by providing specialist advice on the management, care and development of their church buildings including elements such as community use alongside worship. She will also support parishes to access funding to repair and develop their buildings, including support to complete funding applications.

The role is funded through national grants.

Miranda is one of 27 Church Buildings Support Officers appointed across the country to provide parishes with specialist advice on the management, conservation, repair, and development of church buildings, including their use by the wider community alongside worship. Her work will also include advising on creative uses of church spaces, visitor experience, community engagement, outreach, and revenue generation. In addition, she will support deanery and parish teams to access funding for repair and development projects, including help with applications and partnership working with the Generous Giving Team.

Miranda joins the diocese from the cultural sector, where she has led a wide range of funding applications and building development projects. She brings a strong track record of helping organisations of all sizes make informed decisions about developing their capabilities and delivering ambitious projects.

Miranda said: “Cornwall’s church buildings are a much-loved part of our landscape and our communities. Many local PCCs and Friends’ groups work incredibly hard to preserve and develop these spaces so their legacy can continue. I am looking forward to meeting them and helping them achieve their goals.”

Kate Cortez, Deputy Diocesan Secretary and Head of Operations & Governance for the diocese, said: “Through the deanery planning process and our ongoing conversations with people in parishes, we have heard clearly that these much-loved churches can also be a source of anxiety. The time and effort involved in caring for them, and in finding the funding to do so, can be significant.

“We are delighted that our successful funding applications mean we can now offer practical support to parishes and deaneries with their buildings. Miranda, and Ben Wood’s role as Cut Carbon Support Officer, alongside the small grants, are a crucial step that we hope will make a real difference.”

If you have a project that could benefit from Miranda’s input, email her here.