Heritage Lottery Supports Diseworth Heritage Trust

4th June 2007
 Lottery windfall brings church new lease of life at heart of village
Villagers campaigning to give their redundant church a new lease of life at the heart of their community are celebrating today after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced a £538,000 award.
After years of plans and dreams, the HLF award means villagers in Diseworth, in North West Leicestershire, will be able to buy and restore the abandoned Grade 2 listed Baptist Church and create a Heritage Centre for the parish and nearby villages.
Once restoration and building work is completed, villagers and local school children will be able to pop in and use the computer suite, hold meetings and events and learn more about their local history from a museum and archive collection. A Parish Council Office will be included.
The money has been awarded to Diseworth Heritage Trust - a charity led by volunteers from Long Whatton and Diseworth after they carried out detailed planning and consultation following an earlier HLF development grant.
HLF Regional Manager Emma Sale commented, "The Heritage Trust has shown its commitment to this project to rescue the Baptist church and put it to great use as a centre for heritage learning at the core of village life in a thriving community."
Chair of the Management Committee, Nikki Hening is thrilled the group can now get started. "It's absolutely fantastic news about the HLF grant. Many people in the community have dreamed of this for years and worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome for a much-loved village building.
"We want to give the church a new lease of life, saving a vital part of village history and making a focal point for the community once more."
Frequent flooding took its toll on the 250 year old church which was forced to close after serious damage from the rising Diseworth brook in 2000.  Since then the Diseworth Heritage Trust has worked to restore the churchyard and provide access and information for visitors to the site.
After buying the church from the Baptist Union Corporation, much of the funding will go towards repairs and conservation work. Wiring, plumbing and heating will be renewed and access created for disabled visitors.
Nikki Hening added, "We've got huge support from local people and know the centre will be really well used. The church was originally built through public subscriptions and it's very fitting that it should be brought back into use through the enthusiasm and dedication of the villagers."
The new heritage centre will include exhibitions covering the social history of local people over the centuries since the church was built. Future activities will involve the members of Diseworth Heritage Trust, local residents, visitors, members of Diseworth and Long Whatton Local History Societies and schools in Diseworth, Long Whatton, Castle Donington and Shepshed. 

Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands Office
Chiltern House
25-27 Castle Gate
Nottingham
0115 934 9050

Martin Hening
Chair – Diseworth Heritage Trust
01332 853647

Please click the small square and wait for the video clip to load. Then click the arrow to start.

Martin Hening announces an award by The Heritage Lottery Fund to convert Diseworth Baptist Chapel into A Heritage Centre