Sacrewell Farm receives £50,000 National Lottery support to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on heritage.
Sacrewell Farm, run by William Scott Abbott Trust, is based at Thornhaugh, Peterborough and has received £50,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The farm has been run as a charity since 1964 with the aims of connecting people of all ages with the science, heritage and practical art of the agricultural sector, giving them valuable insights into the farm to fork journey.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown began, the farm attraction has been unable to welcome visitors, participants or to carry out fundraising activities. Funds raised from the farm are usually reinvested into the upkeep of the site and the livestock, which is what the donation from the HLF has gone towards.
General Manager, Lee Scowen said: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now continue our work here at Sacrewell Farm.
“In previous years we’ve hosted Farm Camp, Young Farmer’s Apprentice sessions, protected rare breeds and had introduced generations of families to food and farming. We also have a resident blacksmith and craft workshops. At the present time, we are now working out our procedures so we can welcome visitors again in a socially distant manner from 4th July.
“We’re grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund in supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”
The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million has been made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.
The UK-wide fund will address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.
“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as Sacrewell Farm during this uncertain time.”
Like Sacrewell Farm, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery. This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.
Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is currently open to applications for its Heritage Emergency Fund. To find out more visit: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19
To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes , visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response
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Notes to editors
For further information about Sacrewell Farm, images and interview opportunities, please contact: Megan Allen on 07730 599358
About Sacrewell:
Sacrewell Farm is a charity based near Peterborough, run by the William Scott Abbott Trust. The farm was one of the first in the country to host an open day in 1973. In 1981, Sacrewell Farm and Country Centre opened to the public. In 2006, the first rare breeds were introduced to Sacrewell Farm and from 2017 the farm has welcomed school visit including overnight camping.
www.sacrewell.org.uk
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund:
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
The Heritage Emergency Fund remains open for applications for grants ranging from £3,000 to £250,000 until 31 July 2020. Extra advice and support and longer-term skills and capacity building initiatives has also been made available for the heritage sector. Read more about The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s response to the Covid-19 emergency.