St Laurence stands at the very heart of Forres.

For generations, local people have gathered here to celebrate life’s most meaningful moments... from weddings and music to remembrance and reflection.

This building holds our shared stories.

In late 2024, the Church of Scotland made the decision to dispose of St Laurence Church. In response, our charity was formed with one clear purpose: to keep this iconic building in community hands and ensure it remains part of Forres’ future, not just its past.

But time is critical. We have successfully negotiated the purchase of St Laurence, but now we need help from our community to give this beautiful building a new life and ensure it has a bright future.

Our vision is bold and hopeful.

We want to transform St Laurence into a welcoming space for arts, music, culture, and community activities for people of all ages. With its stunning architecture and beautiful acoustics, St Laurence is perfectly suited to concerts, performances, exhibitions, and life celebrations such as weddings... a place full of creativity and connection.

An historic gem

St Laurence’s majestic architecture is recognised in its B Category heritage listing, and the building is also home to a nationally important collection of stained glass by renowned Scottish artist Douglas Strachan. We want to protect and preserve this special building and open its doors for everyone to enjoy and share.

A new future for St Laurence

We’re already on a strong path forward. Thanks to generous grant support from the Scottish Land Fund, Berry Burn Community Fund and individual donors, we have raised enough funds to purchase St Laurence. Now we need our community to help us build a strong foundation for our future.

Taking custodianship of this beautiful building also means taking on around £44000 of advisory building repairs identified in a structural survey. Undertaking these repairs with care and speed will be important to protecting the fabric of this special building.

We also need to secure seed capital to cover initial costs as we build a regular income for St Laurence through venue hire, cultural programmes and events.

Your Donation Counts

Every donation... no matter the size... brings us closer to securing the future of St Laurence and ensuring it remains a vibrant, living part of Forres. Please help us protect this beautiful building and keep it in community ownership, for today and for generations to come.