One hundred years ago, Robert L Barclay left a legacy that changed lives for generations to come.
In 1922, the son of Barclays bank founder Robert Barclay sold the High Leigh estate, his family home, to Christian Conference Trust. He sold it at a reduced rate (£800k in today’s money) because he wanted to give a gift to the Church – he wanted more Christians after him to experience the togetherness of Christian conferencing.
He wasn’t alone. Since then, throughout the years many more have gifted generous donations to enlarge both The Hayes and High Leigh, including the building of a chapel at High Leigh and expanded accommodation at The Hayes. These contributions are vital for helping look after our buildings and keep our facilities up to date. More recently, one supporter made an extremely generous donation that allowed us to rebuild the tower at High Leigh.
After 150 years, the old tower at High Leigh was showing its age. The building had no access for people with reduced mobility to the first-floor meeting spaces, while the meeting rooms upstairs were dark and tired.
Thanks to the generous gift given, the whole structure was renovated through a £1m building project. The tower was completely rebuilt, and a lift was added to make it accessible. The upstairs meeting rooms (the Sycamore Suite) were reconfigured and refurbished to offer a bright and luxurious space with stunning views of the surrounding grounds. We were able to add upgraded equipment to the meeting rooms, such as large LED TVs, built-in surround sound and state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities. The new tower and rooms were opened in spring 2022 and have been enjoyed by thousands of guests since. The gift made by the kind donor has left a lasting legacy at High Leigh.
As a charity we run not-for-profit, giving below market rates to Christian groups to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy life-changing conferences. We’re so glad to do this, but it means we rely on generous donations and living legacies to be able to take on new centres, build bigger meeting spaces and refurbish our venues to serve even more Christian groups.
People like Robert Barclay, the donor who enabled the new tower at High Leigh, and others over the years have left a powerful legacy. We’re so grateful for those gifts that are changing lives today and will continue to do so. To find out more about leaving a legacy in your will or donating to Christian Conference Trust, click here.
