The Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn has been awarded a grant of £120,000 by Benefact Trust.

Made possible by National Lottery players, the 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 exciting interpretation and activities for all ages and interests.

The grant from Benefact Trust will help equip a learning discovery centre and a flexible community space, support an ambitious programme of community events and activities, and help create more opportunities for volunteers to become involved.

Usman Saeed, Grants Officer for Benefact Trust, said ‘We’re delighted to support this exciting project, which will enable the Abbey to connect with the community in a more meaningful way. The learning centre and community space will welcome people from all backgrounds, but we’re excited that our funding will focus on engaging more vulnerable groups of people. We have a vision to create a society where everyone can flourish, so this project really resonated with us.’

In welcoming the grant, the Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury said ‘Bury St Edmunds is a wonderful place to live but there are still communities in Suffolk who experience isolation, loneliness and deprivation. This important and generous grant from Benefact Trust will make a huge difference to the project’s ability to reach out to all our communities. We will use the heritage and biodiversity of the Abbey area to help young people flourish and grow in confidence and self-esteem, to welcome and support individuals who feel they are living on the outside looking in, and to provide a safe and enjoyable place for those who are living with dementia and other mental health challenges. I cannot overstate the importance of this grant in helping us to work towards all this. My heartfelt thanks go to Benefact Trust.’

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.