Capital Heritage projects – Not just “chasing the cash”
When clients approach us for help with their heritage regeneration project, we don’t see our role primarily as “cash chasers”. Especially in the early stages of the journey, the focus should instead be on developing programmes on which the fundraising will eventually be based; in other words, the programmes that will make the client ‘fundable’. We are also frequently asked to assess the feasibility of a particular funding proposition or to mentor / coach leadership teams. This early case development work is essential as it ‘prepares the ground’ on which a successful campaign will be built.
Craigmyle consultants can look back on a successful 1st quarter of the year, securing necessary funds and helping clients develop their heritage projects.
We have been working with Christ Church St Leonards towards securing a £250,000 grant from the Lottery. The grant, awarded in January, will cover the restoration of the exterior of the church and the development of live demonstrations and interpretation projects focussing on the key heritage assets of the church and a ‘heritage hub’ from which community activities will be developed and run. Previously Craigmyle successfully applied for two major grants for Christ Church from the Historic England’s Cultural Recovery Fund for Heritage, totalling £280,000.
The Friends of Nunhead Cemetery in partnership with Southwark Council secured the £250,000 match funding as part of the development phase of their £4,2m Heritage Lottery bid. The client plans to restore a Victorian Gate Lodge at the cemetery’s entrance (currently a ruin) and turn it into a community hub plus café. The cemetery is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Victorian cemeteries established in London between 1832 and 1841. The ecological significance of the cemetery’s is reflected in its status as local Nature Reserve and Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. The project’s wide-ranging volunteering opportunities and activity plans will benefit local communities in this multi-cultural part of South London. Our consultants were given just six months to find £250,000 and managed it with grants from Historic England, Pilgrim Trust and Garfield Weston Foundation as well as Section 106 funding.
Another Craigmyle client, the PCC of St John’s Deptford secured a £62,054 grant from NLHF to restore their Grade II* Historic Organ, built in 1901. Community activities around the restoration are designed to boost engagement with heritage, support wellbeing, build skills and employability within this young, diverse, multi-ethnic community. Black and other ethnic minorities constitute 95% of St John’s congregation and c.55% of regular users, including asylum seekers and refugee households who use a foodbank on church premises. Upon completion, the organ will be comprehensively recorded and made into a publicly available ‘digital virtual pipe organ’.
Since 2022, consultants have been working with Holy Trinity Hastings, to develop and secure funding for their £4.5m ‘Heritage@HTH project. The project aims to restore the exterior and interior of the Grade II* listed church building, including the restoration of church treasures that are of national and international heritage significance. Alongside energy efficiency/ sustainability measures, these plans also aim to create a new curated Heritage Experience for Hastings including multi-media interpretation content developed by students at the local College for Further Education. The client was able to secure seed-funding from the local Heritage Action Zone funding body, which allowed them to develop a project that is more ambitious than anything they have ever done before. In December 2023, HTH Church received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to fully develop their plans and to apply for a full National Lottery grant at a later date. Craigmyle will continue be an integral part of this next important phase of the project.
Finally, Autism Together, a large autism care provider based in the Wirral, secured a £10,000 Project Viability Grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund which allowed them to engage a team of architects to carry out an options appraisal for the future use of the heritage buildings they own. The buildings are set in an area with a fascinating 19th century industrial heritage story. This will be an exciting journey for Autism Together involving local heritage partners and community groups and Craigmyle will be alongside Autism Together every step of the way.
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