There’s still time for local churches to enter a national competition seeking to reward the best community engagement initiatives - with a top prize of £10,000 and five runner-up prizes of £2,000.

The prize fund has been put forward by insurance company Ecclesiastical, which specialises in insuring some of the most iconic and unique buildings in the UK, including churches.

The competition titled ‘Reaching out, inviting in – churches helping communities’ is open to Anglican churches in the UK, and sets out to find ideas and initiatives that have helped local communities.

Churches can enter any activity they have organised in the past 12 months, so the initiative doesn’t have to be currently active. For example, it can be an ongoing campaign or a one off community outreach project.

The entries must be clearly aimed at supporting, helping or reaching out to local communities (not primarily for fundraising) and must be managed by the PCC or church council entering the competition.

Michael Angell, church operations director at Ecclesiastical, said, “We have been overwhelmed by some of the entries we’ve received. The activities that churches across the country are undertaking to support people in their local communities and the dedication of the people involved in the projects is humbling and inspirational.

“So far we’ve seen a whole host of initiatives ranging from food co-operatives and lunch clubs to language classes for vulnerable members of the community.

He added, “If a church is still considering whether they should enter or not, we would like to remind them that we are not only looking for the big projects carried out by huge congregations, but any initiatives that have enabled a church of any size to build links with their local community and support those in need.”

The competition is open until August 31. Applications are available online at ecclesiastical.com/churchcomp where you can also read the full terms and conditions.

The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in London on November 9.