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w/c Monday 11th March 2024

Following the £1.57m award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund  in December 2023, The Way Forward project team met with representatives from the Heritage Fund on 29th February 2024. 

The meeting was called "Permission to Start" and involved reviewing a number of documents supplied by the project team, including where we had got to with raising our own funding.  The permission to start is the green light to commence work on the project, starting with the internal renovation programme.

Our own funding is important because we need at least £120,000 towards the project cost.  The money from the Heritage Fund does not sit in our bank account, nor does it pay for the whole project.  Bills for the project have to be paid by St Mary's and then retrospectively claimed back from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Having applied for a number of grants from charitable trusts, we had hoped that at least some of the grants would come in during January and February.  None did.  That left The National Lottery Heritage Fund with no option but to refuse the permission to start.

The congregation of St Mary's is continuing to raise funds through its own charitable giving and fundraising initiatives;  we also hope that some of the applications for grants from charitable trusts will be successful and funds will come in.   We have until 14th June to raise the £120,000 needed; this is the deadline set by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, otherwise their £1.57m grant is withdrawn.

Would you consider giving to help us raise the £120,000 that we need?   Head to our Give page by clicking the button below.