About Us
At Top Church Training we support people facing isolation and hardship across our local community, helping them build confidence, skills and meaningful connections.
“You start off needing help, then you get confident enough to help others. That’s how people change their lives.”
Our Ethos
Our Mission
We support and empower our local community by creating safe, welcoming spaces where people can build skills, confidence, and meaningful connections, helping to reduce isolation and support individuals and families to thrive
Our Vision
We envision a welcoming, inclusive community where everyone feels valued and supported, has access to meaningful opportunities, good food, and the support they need to build confidence, connection, and long term wellbeing
Our Values
Inspire - Support - Connect
Our Story
Top Church Training was formed in March 1997 by the vicar of the local Christian Church Community, as a community-based charity to support disadvantaged individuals, young people, and families across the Dudley Borough. Its mission was to support local people to:
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Reduce their isolation
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Build social connections and participate in community life
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Provide access to specialist services when required
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Empower them to move on to better outcomes in their lives
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The vision of Top Church Training remains at the heart of what we do, The Connect Project evolved from Top Church Training in 2017, with the focus of creating targeted projects to support individuals and families across the Dudley borough who face multiple barriers including insecure housing, low income, addiction, poor mental health, and social isolation.
Many of the people we support are disengaged from mainstream services and feel lost within the system, so we stand by our mission to develop their capacity and skills to enable them to better meet their own needs and participate more fully in society.
Our approach is person-centered, flexible, and rooted in lived experience, believing in meeting people where they are and walking alongside them as they build brighter futures, providing support both on a 1-2-1 confidential basis, and through inclusive community events to foster connection and resilience.
Our Impact
To date, we have:
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worked with over 10,000 individuals and 2,500 families delivering tailored services that address poverty, homelessness, care experience, and complex social challenges
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welcomed 200 new clients each year
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provided volunteering opportunities for 75 people each year
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with 98% of the people supported in 2025 reporting improved confidence
“Talking to someone who’s been there makes it easier to open up.”
Recognition & Celebration
Each year, we host a Volunteers Awards Day to celebrate the achievements of the volunteers supported through The Connect Project, alongside the community organisations that help make our work possible. With the support of the Deputy Lieutenant, the awards recognise important milestones for many of the people we support, giving them a sense of achievement and something meaningful to work towards.
​Our work was nationally recognised in 2021, when we were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.