DELIGHTED church, and arts and cultural civic leaders, are celebrating grant funding of almost £250,000 for Grimsby Minster and the Town Hall’s ‘Time Trap’ museum.
The venues are two of 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.
445 organisations will share £103 million to help restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance on cherished heritage sites, keeping venues open and supporting those working in the sector.
Grimsby Minster has been awarded £182,900 with the Time Trap museum getting a further £60,000.
The funding, from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by Government and administered at arms-length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.
For the Minster, this represents a real boost for the dedicated team, which has dealt with the building’s temporary closure over the last few months. Now open again and with work to St James’ Square well underway, it hopes to see a much brighter 2021.
A Minster spokesperson said: “Like so many other public buildings, the majority of 2020 has been extremely hard for us here. The Minster prides itself upon being here for the people of our town, sharing in both their joy and their sadness. This money is so valuable to us and will enable to us to look at next year with renewed optimism.
“We’ve been delighted to work with the local authority in seeking and celebrating this grant support. Partnerships with the local public, private and voluntary sectors are key to the Minster’s mission and we link arms with all who share our concerns and aspirations for the wellbeing of the local community,” she added.
Thanking the Minster team for all its hard work, The Venerable Mark Steadman, Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey, said: “The Minster is a terrific building and one that stands proudly to represent the people of Grimsby. I’m hugely appreciative of the work that everyone has done to get to this point, and they have my continued support.”
Still closed in the wake of the pandemic, Grimsby Town Hall’s Town Trap Museum is contained within the building’s former police cells. Opened in the 1990s, visitors are taken on a journey to uncover the town’s colourful past with exhibits including treasured artefacts and displays charting its growth. The grant will be used to make the attraction Covid-secure and to help develop a business plan for future growth.
Both grant funds offer further support to the work taking place under the umbrella brand of Grimsby Creates – the Cultural Development Fund-supported programme to encourage the participation in, and appreciation of, arts and culture across North East Lincolnshire. The Our Haven project is already underway with cultural work taking place as part of major improvements in Garth Lane and St James’ Square. Both lie within the town’s Heritage Action Zone, (HAZ).
North East Lincolnshire Council’s cabinet member for heritage, Cllr Callum Procter, said: “It is wonderful to see these funding awards for two very different projects and buildings, but both of which share a common goal of attracting visitors to some of Grimsby’s finest buildings and assisting in the preservation of our heritage.”
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