The Town Council is delighted to share this press release from local charity Friends of the Cotswolds.
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Friends of the Cotswolds awarded a grant of £235,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to create a range of volunteer-led projects over the next 2.5 years- Rooted in the Community: The Old Prison
NORTHLEACH – 21 October 2022 – The Friends of the Cotswolds has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £235,600 for an exciting heritage project; Rooted in the Community: The Old Prison. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on reconnecting the Old Prison in Northleach to the local community and bringing its heritage to new audiences.
The project will start in November 2022, and over the course of 2.5 years, will deliver a range of developments at the Old Prison including a Community Wellbeing Garden, an Education Programme working with local primary schools, an Oral History Project and events and exhibitions in partnership with Corinium Museum and Gloucestershire Constabulary Archives.
Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will enable people of all ages to engage with their local heritage and explore the roots of this important heritage site. There will be many opportunities for volunteers to get involved and learn new skills with full training provided; new roles will cover all elements of the project with something for everybody.
The Friends of the Cotswolds is an organisation that works to protect and enhance the region’s unique environment, heritage and culture. Having bought the Old Prison in 2013, the Friends have worked over the past decade to ensure it remains open to the community and will now take the site forward to connect local people with the fascinating heritage of the Old Prison.
Commenting on the award, David Rockey said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will support more people to connect with the Heritage of the Old Prison.”
The total project costs run to £250,000. The Friends of the Cotswolds is incredibly grateful to local support for the project who awarded us grants totalling over £14,000 in match funding. Our thanks to:
- Build Back Better Councillor Scheme- Gloucestershire County Council
- Northleach Community Grant – Northleach with Eastington Town Council
- Northleach Town Trustees
- Northleach Youth Club and Community Trust
- Notgrove Trust
About Friends of the Cotswolds
Friends of the Cotswolds is a small charity based in Northleach. We purchased the Old Prison from Cotswold District Council in 2013 to ensure it remained open to the public to visit and enjoy. https://friendsofthecotswolds.org
Our partners Relish run the café at the Old Prison, and we run the visitor attraction. The site is also home to the Cotswolds National Landscape team and community radio station Cotswolds Radio.
Away from the Old Prison, we support local apprentices through our Cotswold Craft Apprenticeship Scheme which we continue to promote with funds available for new apprentices.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.
