by Trevor Dale
August sees the completion of the Development Phase of the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant application. The team at Cranleigh Heritage Trust will have, by mid August, completed the application process. It has been quite a task. As I write we have yet to conclude negotiations to agree the lease with National Health Service Property Services Ltd. There seems to be a joint will to reach agreement, but it is challenging being between two organisations, in this case the Lottery and the NHSPS, who both have quite different policies and requirements. Little things like how much we will be expected to contribute to the service charge which pays for the upkeep of the whole hospital site. Interesting because we will have the front garden, but our own dedicated access and no use of the car park. So that’s just one conundrum we face. There are more, but I don’t feel the need to delve into those.
Suffice to say the devil is indeed in the detail.
Fundamentally the Heritage Fund wishes to protect what is essentially an investment in Cranleigh Heritage Trust. When we get the grant (positivity is key here) it is exactly that. Strings attached of course, but they do not expect us to repay a penny. However, it is public money and quite rightly they should take care. Between August and the announcement in December, we need to continue working to ensure our plans are robust and resilient.
They do insist that we raise a proportion of the costs and that is where we have started the 1000 club, in partnership with the 1170 charity for St Nicholas church and the Arts Centre. The first draw took place at the Cranleigh Lions Fair on 29th June and the winner received £150. We are also continuing to apply for grants from other bodies with some success. We believe it is a mark of the prestige of the project that organisations are prepared to support the project in a tangible way.
We have grants or promises now for the ongoing project from Surrey Historic Buildings Trust, the Pilgrim Trust, Your Fund Surrey as well as NHS Property Services ltd, our landlords. We continue to seek more.
In other news, June saw us obtain Listed Building Consent from Waverley Planning. They agree with our plans to open new external doors for easier access and a change to the design of the stairs. This will greatly enhance safety and accessibility. They have recommended some modifications to our plan. The planners have recommended a new extended front porch as shown.
We have also commissioned the My Cranleigh Heritage Project. That will feature in next months article. Watch this space.
The 1000 Club grows to help even more of the Village.
Cranleigh Heritage Trust and the 1170 Charity are delighted to announce that Cranleigh Arts Centre is now a full partner and gathering new members for the Cranleigh 1000 Club.
Join us for just £5 a month to be in with a chance of winning a lottery-style draw. You could of course have more! Every month a lucky winner will walk away with half the total cash pot. The remaining half will be split equally between Cranleigh Heritage Trust, the 1170 Charity, and Cranleigh Arts Centre. Win or not, you’ll be supporting three of Cranleigh’s oldest buildings and their rich heritage.
FURTHER SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT
There are many opportunities for enthusiastic volunteers to join the project. This promises to be a rewarding challenge for those with an interest in history and heritage, or in helping people. Please contact us by phone, 01483 272987, letter or email to;
If you are a charity, business or therapist please do contact us to register your interest. We need long-term partners, and the Heritage Fund panel needs us to show them how we are engaging with our community.
To register an expression of interest in future use of the facilities please do write to us with the following information:
1. Brief description of what you offer and the benefits to clients and customers.
2. Say if and where you currently offer this service and why people would use the cottage to meet you.
3. Brief declaration of support for the project in general.
4. Return name and address and any website or social media links.
Thank you so much! Trustees Trevor Dale – Chair; Howard Barratt; Jane Briggs; Chris Bulley; Sue Dale; Nigel West. Advisors Bob Callard – architect; Joanna James – business advisor, Michael Miller and Joy Horn, history advisors.
Visit our website:
www.cranleighheritagetrust.org.uk
