Welcome to the Priory Futures Project

Keep up to date withThe Priory Futures Project here

We have now completed the initial phase of our ambitious Futures Project, which looks at how we can achieve our stated vision for the Priory:

“To restore, enhance and protect Leominster Priory, in a sustainable way, as an inclusive, sacred place of worship and heritage, ensuring it remains at the heart of the community for future generations”

The PCC and the Futures Group have worked hard over the past couple of years to plan, manage and deliver the first stage work aimed at achieving this vision and we are now able to report on where we have got to:

Project Overview

The Leominster Priory Futures Project was an 18-month £175,000 heritage project funded primarily by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Churches Trust. The project aimed to explore the future of Leominster Priory and understand how, working with the local community, partners and stakeholders, the building could be made more sustainable, engage more people and be future-proofed for at least the next 100 years.

The project brought together three main strands of work:

• Planning for the Future
• Understanding the Priory’s Heritage
• Celebrating the Priory’s Heritage

Project Activity

Community Consultation - Two phases of consultation were undertaken to understand what people wanted for the future of the Priory:

Professional Studies and Plans - Working with specialist consultants, the project produced the following:

• A Fabric Condition Survey identifying repair needs
• An architectural Feasibility Study and Concept Design showing how the building could be improved and the space better utilised, including indicative implementation costs
• A Business Plan and Fundraising Strategy to guide future income generation
• A Conservation Plan for the Ducking Stool to ensure it is preserved for future generations

Community Heritage Activities – Including the Living Orchard Film, a project to assess the Ducking Stool and create engagement with it and Priory 900, a month-long celebration of the Priory and its history since the refounding of the building in 1125

Employment and Volunteers

As well as a Project Management team, the project appointed a Heritage and Community Officer who successfully planned and delivered all the heritage activities. We successfully engaged over 50 community groups, 100 artists and built new partnerships with key stakeholders. The project was supported by over 250 volunteers including people with learning disabilities. Many of these volunteers have expressed interest in continuing their involvement with the Priory.

Project Outcomes

The project was extremely successful in all respects. The Evaluation phase, carried out at the end of the project shows the following key statistics:

Engagement

• 18,000+ people engaged across all project activities
• 51% were first-time or infrequent visitors to the Priory
• 15,798 visitors during Priory 900
• 2,425 children involved in the schools programme
• 50+ community groups participated
• 100+ local artists contributed

Learning and Understanding

• 82% of people learned new information about local heritage
• 80% gained better understanding of heritage
• 98% of children reported learning something new
• 99% rated their experience as excellent or good

Building for the Future

• 72% expressed increased interest in future involvement with the Priory
• 93% of volunteer stewards said they were interested in continuing working with the Priory
• Stronger relationships built with local organisations and schools
• Clearer understanding of what improvements are needed
• Evidence-based plans to guide future development

Conclusion

The project has given the Priory a strong foundation and clear direction for the future. The Priory now has the professional studies, community support and evidence base needed to make informed decisions about our next phase of development.

Key priorities include maintaining communication with the wider congregation and community about the next phase of development, maintaining community relationships and volunteer engagement that has been built, and progressing fabric repairs.

The project has been transformational in helping the Priory understand what needs to happen next and has given the PCC the tools, evidence and community support to move forward.

Next Steps

The next steps are to write an Expression of Interest to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, aimed at gaining approval to submit a funding bid for the Development and Delivery phases of the Futures Project and to plan and implement fabric repairs identified in the Condition Survey.