Over the last year, we’ve been working intensively behind the scenes to prepare the Faculty (planning) application and complete the final stage of our major grant submission to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Although we had a very positive Development Phase, progressing to the Delivery Phase is never guaranteed, every element of the project must be fully justified, costed, and evidenced.
During development, we uncovered some unexpected challenges. Our ambition to upgrade the heating system led to investigations beneath the church floor, which revealed a significant insect infestation in the void. This required additional specialist work, raising project costs and reshaping our plans to ensure that we could still deliver everything to a high standard without compromising outcomes.
Despite these challenges, we are thrilled to announce that our final submission was successful, and that we have been awarded £719,000, more than we originally applied for. This exceptional outcome not only propels us towards meeting our match-funding target, but also demonstrates the confidence that the Heritage Fund has in our vision, our planning, and the lasting impact of the project.
The next step is to await the outcome of our Faculty (planning) application, which will allow us to move forward with delivery.
We’ll share updates as soon as we have news – so watch this space!
