Project Update
At the end of March 2020 we were delighted to receive a grant of £226,000 from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership. Together with support from Babergh District Council and generous grant funders and individuals we are so close to achieving our match funding target to give us the best chance of securing a £1.6 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Although this Crowd Funder has now finished, further support is still needed to help guarantee this final grant. If you would still like to get involved please visit our website.
And to those who have already donated, on behalf of the whole of CCT, I would like to thank you for your generous contribution towards helping us give a second life to St Peter's church, Sudbury.
About this project
St Peter’s church in Sudbury, Suffolk is a Grade I listed building that has stood at the heart of community life since the 14th century. Although no longer used for regular worship, the building is still full of life, holding dozens of events, and welcoming thousands of visitors every year.
However, with a leaking roof, inadequate kitchen, lack of toilet facilities and a growing repair bill the historic fabric of St Peter’s is deteriorating to a point where the long term use of the building is uncertain. We are raising money in order to repair and conserve the historic fabric and regenerate St Peter’s as a thriving community hub.
The challenge
In order to secure a £1.6 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund we need to reach a 25% match funding target.
To have the best chance of success we are continuing to fundraise and have launched a public appeal to raise £40,000. To date we have raised a fantastic £20,000. This is the final push of our public appeal to raise the remaining £20,000. We're halfway there, but our plans for St Peter’s can only happen with your help.
What will be done with your support?
Conservation: The roof is leaking and urgent repair work is required to make the building watertight. If this continues the church sadly will no longer be open to community groups, passers-by and tourists.
New facilities: New kitchen and toilet facilities enabling continued and expanded use by a wide range of groups.
Access for all: We will have a gallery level space which can be used for exhibitions and meetings, and provide an accessible bell ringing platform,. With a lift to the gallery, it can be accessed by everyone, and allow those with limited mobility to be able to take part in this historic craft and make teaching ringing easier and more accessible.
Craft Skills: Nationally we face a massive traditional building skills shortage. This project at St Peter’s will enable us to offer a traditional craft skills programme.
Increased opportunities: The development of St Peter’s will lead to the creation of jobs and many volunteering opportunities with a programme of volunteer training to enable people to fulfil their potential with transferable skills.
If you have any questions about this project please do not hesitate to get in touch with our local Development Officer, Allison Burke, by emailing [email protected].
More about us
This project is run in partnership with the Friends of St Peter’s, a charity constituted in 1976 to care for St Peter's Church, Sudbury.
The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), the national charity protecting historic churches at risk. Since 1969 we have saved 356 Grade I , II, or II* listed buildings that are no longer used for regular worships. Our unique collection of English parish churches includes irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology and art from 1,000 years of history.
You can find out more about the work that we do, from conservation, to regeneration and education, on our website.