Grant of £10,000 given to Abbey of St Edmund heritage project by the Bury Society

The Bury St Edmunds Society has awarded a grant of £10,000 to the Abbey of St Edmund heritage project, making it the first organisation in the town to provide financial support.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the Abbey of St Edmund project will conserve and protect the Abbey ruins, build a visitor centre facing onto Angel Hill, expand and improve the footpaths around the site, and provide interpretation and activities for all ages and interests.

It will be a magnet for cultural tourists and an important gathering place for local residents.

Martyn Taylor, chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Society, said: “The Society’s aim is to ensure that as the town grows, it remains a beautiful place in which to live, work or visit; embracing positive changes which enhance the town whilst ensuring a balance with its precious heritage. We hope that, in making this early statement of support for this vital project, we will encourage other local organisations and businesses to do the same.”

In welcoming this announcement, Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmudsbury said: “Whilst the project is supported with a development grant of £729,553 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a possible future delivery grant of £6.7 million, we are going to need to raise around £2.5m ourselves as well. Much of this will come from national grant-giving bodies, but we will also need considerable support from our local community.

“It is therefore hugely important to us that the Bury Society has stepped in at this moment in time, and we are so grateful to them for demonstrating such early faith in this project.”

St Edmundsbury Cathedral, West Suffolk Council and English Heritage (the project partners) have come together as members of the Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership (comprising 29 organisations and individuals who care about the Abbey) to develop and deliver this project.