Discovering Belmont Abbey

Heritage Lottery Fund confirms its grant to secure the future of Belmont Abbey Church and wider public access.

25th September 2007

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has confirmed the award to Belmont Abbey of a major grant for their project “Discovering Belmont Abbey”, it was announced today.

This award, totalling over £700,000, follows last year’s initial Stage One pass* and development grant which was used to complete the details for the proposal, which centres on making the Abbey Church more accessible to a wide range of people, enlarging the Abbey’s educational activities, displaying some of the Abbey’s historic artefacts and restoring the fabric of the Pugin-designed Grade 11* listed Abbey Church.

Belmont Abbey, situated on the western edge of Hereford, is the home of a community of Benedictine monks. The monastic community use the Abbey Church, built in 1854, for their daily round of services and the Church is also used by the local parish. The project aims to make the history of monasticism more freely accessible by creating a display area, providing interpretative materials, including guides specially designed for the visually impaired, and making necessary adaptations to improve access for the disabled.

Commenting on the award, Father Paul Stonham, Abbot of Belmont, said “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund have confirmed this grant for the Abbey Church. It will ensure that the Abbey’s fabric is preserved for future generations and that the wide range of resources we have here at Belmont Abbey can be made accessible to a wider audience. The Community is very grateful to the HLF and excited that after much hard work by the Community and our band of volunteers, this project is going ahead”.

Explaining the importance of the award, HLF’s West Midlands manager Anne Jenkins said, “Belmont Abbey is one of the most architecturally significant monastic establishments in our region. This HLF award will help ensure that this fine example of Victorian architecture is preserved for future generations. The education and learning programme will be a great boost to Herefordshire and beyond, providing the opportunity for a wide variety of educational and cultural activities to take place in a unique setting.”

For further information , please contact Edmund Hayward, the Bursar, at Belmont Abbey, Hereford HR2 9RZ Tel 01432 374749, email bursar@belmontabbey.org.uk

About Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. We have supported more than 16,600 projects, allocating over £3.3 billion across the UK.

A Stage One Pass means that the money has been set aside for the project further to some additional planning and development.

For further information, please contact: Sarah Barnwell, Heritage Lottery Fund – Tel: 020 7591 6046, email barnwells@hlf.org.ukWebsite: www.hlf.org.uk