The Priory Church of St Mary and the Holy Cross,
Binham
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The Priory Church of St Mary and the Holy Cross,Binham |
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| Parish & Community | Building & History | northnorfolkcentral |
Binham Priory Access and Conservation Project Progress ReportApril 2007 to March 2008 |
Binham Priory Access and Conservation Project A partnership project by Binham Priory Trust, Binham PCC and The Norfolk Archaeological Trust The principal aims of the project are to:
The Project Team is: Hilary Brown Financial Controller David Frost Project Manager Pauline Scott Fundraising Co-ordinator and managing Intellectual Access Peter Wade-Martins Norfolk Archaeological Trust representative
Summary progress report: April 2007 to March 2008 Report March 2008
This is the fifth year of the project and a significant milestone was reached in March 2007 when Heritage Lottery Fund agreed to make a grant of up to £648,500 out of the overall project budget of £886,500. It was the start of a very active twelve months, initially slightly dampened by being told that the remaining £80,000 of match-funding would have to be in place before any of the grant money could be drawn down! However it proved possible in April to get Norfolk Archaeological Trust and Binham PCC to offer substantial guarantees which together with some donations already received and sureties from a number of individuals, underwrote the balance.
The official fund-raising launch was at the wonderful flower festival and book sale in early May generating an amazing £5,000. This event at the Priory and Village Hall was led by Brenda Wilde and Liz Brown with many helpers from across the community. The generosity of the Village Hall Trustees in donating half of the proceeds from the Medieval Weekend in August to the project fund contributed another £2,500. In January this year Jack’s Racenight at the Village Hall raised a further £1,270. These major local events have been only one element of the fund-raising effort. Of the £80,000 still needed in May 2007 over half has now been obtained from all the local efforts, grants for charities and donations from commercial organisations and individuals. With the guarantees in place Heritage Lottery Fund allowed a project start from June. Early activities were to appoint W S Lusher and Sons of Sprowston as the conservation contractor for the gatehouse and precinct wall, Dr David Watt as conservation surveyor, The Whitworth Co-Partnership of Bury St Edmunds as architect, Colin Elliott, also of Bury, as quantity surveyor, and several smaller contracts for supporting professional services. All contracts of any significant value are subject to competitive tender. Site work by W S Lusher started in the summer and the conservation of the gatehouse was effectively complete by October. The site was closed down in November for the winter to avoid the cold months as lime mortar is being used. The conservation of the precinct wall will be Lusher’s main activity in 2008. The detailed architectural drawings and specifications for the secondary entrance in the north aisle, the low services building and the access paths were prepared by October and enquiries sent to qualified contractors. Bids were evaluated after Christmas and Fisher and Son (Fakenham) Ltd were appointed as main contractor in late February with a site start programmed for April and completion by the end of 2008. Planning work on the intellectual access elements of the project started in the autumn with the commissioning of Sue White to write the Site Interpretive Plan. This has been completed in February containing proposals for imaginative ways of explaining and projecting the whole site in a spiritual and historical context, together with tracking down items from the 1930’s excavations for possible display. Many volunteers, across the community, have come forward to be involved in training to be site guides, assisting with writing school information packs, leaflets for walks and cycle rides centred on the Priory, construction of a timeline display and providing material for the Priory website, with Tim Fawcett being the web-master. As can be imagined with the expenditure of nearly £900,000, financial control is vitally important. Professional advice has been taken on many aspects including the complex matter of VAT liability. Rigorous controls are in place, and the procedure for the monthly evaluation and application to the Heritage Lottery Fund is formidable. However all five payment applications made to date have been accepted without amendment and money quickly transferred to the project account held by Binham Priory Trust. The appropriate amounts are then passed to Norfolk Archaeological Trust and Binham PCC to pay suppliers. The roles of each party were set out in a formal agreement signed before the project started and ensures transparency with the commissioning individuals of the Project Team not responsible for drawing money to make payments to suppliers. Fund-raising will continue with the Project Team confident all the money will be obtained by early 2009, when it is hoped to have an event celebrating the completion of the whole project.
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