Delapré Abbey receives Architectural Heritage Fund Cultural Recovery Grant

Posted 19th February 2021

Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust has been awarded £19,250 by the Architectural Heritage Fund’s £1 million grants programme to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings affected by the pandemic.

Delapre Abbey Stables

The grant – funded by the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and managed through partnership with Historic England – will enable Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust to develop plans to protect the heritage of the Abbey’s 19th Century Stables and support the development of a new fundraising strategy.

Richard Clinton, Chief Executive of Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust said:

“We welcome the announcement that we have been successful in securing funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund. This grant enables us to further develop a feasibility study into how we can best repurpose the sadly dilapidated 19th Century Stables to serve the needs of our diverse community, promote wellbeing, animate the site, and create a new destination for the town.”

Matthew Mckeague, CEO, Architectural Heritage Fund, said:

“The COVID-19 crisis has brought unparalleled uncertainty to the heritage sector, with organisations that rely on visitor income or community group usage shuttered for most of the past year. However, these grants will support organisations in becoming more resilient as they emerge from the crisis.

 

“For forty-five years, the Architectural Heritage Fund has been committed to supporting communities to develop sustainable new uses for their much-loved historic buildings. We are pleased to have been able to offer this additional support at a time of extraordinary need and are very grateful to DCMS for funding these vital grants.”

Cllr. Tim Hadland, Northampton Borough Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise, said:
“This grant will enable the Delapré Abbey team to take this exciting project forward to the next stage. The award is recognition of the importance of the Abbey to the community, and the work of the Trustees, staff and volunteers in bringing it to life.”

Despite the challenges and ongoing restrictions caused by Covid-19, the Trust has worked hard over the past year to raise the profile of the Abbey and to support the local community, having recently announced that 7500 local families will be gifted an Annual Pass for 2021/22. A new business plan sees the Trust focussing on heritage and culture, wellbeing and the environment, food and beverage, and animating unloved spaces, with the aim to broaden reach, put communities first, and inspire and excite through ambitious programmes and activity.