BAcRG Update

Update on The Daily Bread St Michael’s, Brampton Abbotts October 2019

It’s been an extremely busy six months since the essential repair works to St Michael and All Angels were completed in April 2019.

BAcRG Trustees and our Project Manager have been working hard on the second phase of The Daily Bread to bring this important historic building back into community use and to provide it with a long term sustainable future, to be able to keep it in good repair for generations to come.

Since April we have:

• Held a community celebration and open day on 30th May where more than 120 people came along to enjoy the building and join in various activities throughout the day and evening
• Attended and presented to the Annual Parish Meeting
• Hosted a number of fundraising events including Sausages & Cider at the Old Rectory; and at the church Whispering Across Centuries art project and exhibition; Village Show where we welcomed 97 entries across categories ranging from vegetables to cakes; preserves to photos from all ages; an afternoon of Poems and Puddings in the Pews; and a musical evening featuring our own local choir The Bramptones. We’ve raised £2,600+ this summer! Thank you for your support!

We’ve also…

• Opened our doors as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative
• Welcomed the first service to be held at St Michael’s for more than 10 years, celebrating the feast of St Michael at the end of September
• Produced a variety of heritage information in various formats including leaflets, film, web content and interpretation paddles
• Received pre-application advice from Herefordshire Council
• Secured guidance from Historic England and the Conservation Officer to help finalise the re-ordering proposals for the building to reflect its historic significance
• Commissioned highway and transport planning consultants to undertake the necessary traffic surveys as part of our Change of Use planning application 
• Commissioned further Ecology surveys and studies to ensure our proposals have minimal impact on local wildlife and biodiversity
• Worked closely with RRA Architects to finalise our planning application
• Continued to work in partnership with the Diocese of Hereford and Church Commissioners on a community asset transfer and long lease of the building
• Agreed a programme of church services and supported the PCC to develop a Churchyard Management Plan, including securing Listing for the Lychgate to enable funding bids
• Commenced discussions with the PCC on securing a long lease on the carpark on similar terms to the building head lease with the Diocese of Hereford
• Held meetings with nearest neighbours to develop a Community Code of Conduct
• Retained the interest of an artisan baker who is committed to delivering the Daily Bread with us in 2020

So what happens now? What is The Daily Bread?

BAcRG submitted a planning application for Change of Use and Listed Building consent a few days ago. You can see the detail of the planning application by visiting the local authority planning portal.

The next phase of The Daily Bread is to re-order the inside of the church to make it more usable and accessible for all. We propose to install much needed services and facilities, such as mains water, a toilet, a kitchenette, storage space. We are requesting permission to remove and re-use the pews to open up the Nave and to make it a more flexible and community friendly space.

The Chancel will remain almost the same as now, with only minor alterations to the choir stalls, retaining it as a sacred space with all the history it holds. The Vestry will be converted into space for the artisan bakery with the necessary services, ventilation and hygienic floors and walls.

The budget cost for the next phase of works is approximately £250k including VAT and fees. BAcRG is now actively seeking funding to deliver the project subject to agreeing lease terms for the building and the car park and securing planning permission.

We hope that by this time next year The Daily Bread at St Michael’s will be up and running.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

What and Who is BAcRG?

Brampton Abbotts Church Regeneration Group (BAcRG) was set up in 2012 following the decision by the Church Commissioners to close St Michael’s and All Angels as a parish church.

Local people came together to try to save the historic building and to find a new sustainable use. BAcRG CIO registered as a charity in 2018 and is tasked with taking forward the plans for the building on behalf of the local community. Current BAcRG Trustees are:
Stuart Fraser (Chairman); Tom McCarthy; Jo Pilkington; Oliver Marshall; Jan Fraser; Sue Marshall. All Trustees live and/or work in the village.

Will the church be a place of worship again?

Yes, but St Michaels will not re-open as a Parish Church, the decision to close the church was made by the Church Commissioners in 2011. However, the Bishop of Hereford has given permission for six church services a year to be held at St Michael’s and BAcRG and the PCC are working together to look at hosting a range of community services in the church throughout the year.

Will the bakery result in more traffic, light pollution, noise and smells in the village?

Brampton Abbotts is a rural living village. We do not anticipate that the bakery will impact negatively on village life. To be sustainable we hope to attract visitors to the church, the bakery and the pop up café but not in numbers that will have adverse consequences on daily life.

The size of the building will limit the scale of production and numbers of people accommodated. The bakery will be staffed by a maximum of three people at any one time. Smells will be minimal and contained within self venting ovens and ventilation systems. Baking is not a noisy process so there will be minimal noise and the church walls are very thick.

Traffic movements at unsociable and peak hours of the day will be minimal and managed by public opening hours during term times. On a daily basis the existing car park should be sufficient with overflow arrangements put in place for any larger occasional events.

Low level path lighting will be installed in line with Ecology recommendations. It will be a warm yellow shade to avoid disturbance to surrounding wildlife and neighbouring properties.

How can we get involved or find out more?

We have an active social media and website presence so you can keep up to date on Facebook or here on www.thedailybread.org.uk.

We are always looking for more people to get involved so if you are interested contact the Project Manager on info@thedailybread.org.uk or any of the Trustees.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update.

For immediate release:

 

Brampton Abbotts St Michael and All Angels Church repairs project to begin thanks to National Lottery support
A long awaited project to repair Brampton Abbotts church in Herefordshire can now begin, thanks to a confirmed grant of £215,600* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) it was announced today.

The Grade II* listed Norman building sits on the edge of the village in a beautiful hilltop setting, with breathtaking views from the churchyard towards Ross-on-Wye and the Forest of Dean.
The grant from HLF will address the major repairs needed to the tower, the roofs, rainwater goods, stonework, the porch, several windows, internal walls and ceilings, and electrics.

The work should remove St Michael’s from the Heritage at Risk Register, make it wind and watertight, and give it a sustainable future.

St Michael’s is a closed Church, closing some 10 years ago, when the scope of repairs required were beyond the capacity of the local community.

The vital repairs are the first phase of a community regeneration project, known locally as The Daily Bread, which seeks to provide this important heritage building with a sustainable future. Following the repairs St Michael’s will be converted in to an artisan bakery, together with a café and community facilities for all, and worship a minimum of 6 times a year.

A partnership has formed between the Diocese of Hereford and BAcRG, a local Community Interest Company set up specifically to take forward the preservation and regeneration of the building, to secure its future as a multi-use resource for the village – returning it to the heart of the community.

As part of the funding, made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, there will be opportunities for local people to learn more about the history of the building. The church has been at the centre of village life for 800 years, the Chancel and Nave being 12th Century. The churchyard has a fine collection of Georgian tombs and a medieval churchyard cross, a Schedule 1 Ancient Monument.

Vanessa Harbar, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands said

“We have been delighted to support St Michael’s Church in Brampton Abbotts to carry out urgent repairs and engage new audiences with this much-loved local landmark. Thank you to the National Lottery players who have made it possible.”

Wendy Coombey, Community Partnership and Funding Officer, Diocese of Hereford, said:

“Projects like Brampton Abbotts give new life and hope for some of our most ancient churches, and there is no reason why the learning from this project couldn’t be transferred to an open church. As a Diocese, we are delighted to support it both now and in the future. This project gives an exciting future to a building and will engage many people who live in and around the church and also people who visit the area.”

Sam Hine, Project Manager, Brampton Abbotts Church Regeneration Group said,

“We are so pleased that the funding for the repairs stage of The Daily Bread project is now confirmed. Local people have been working hard for many years to develop a viable and sustainable business plan for the building and the generous support of the Heritage Lottery Fund will enable us to finally get the project on its way.”

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Notes to Editors:
* The HLF grant to the Repair and Regeneration of St Michael’s Church Brampton Abbotts is for £215,600 (61% of project costs) and is a second-round pass, which means it is a confirmed award.

Matchfunding for the repairs project will come from a number of sources, including Garfield Weston Foundation; National Churches Trust; All Churches Trust; Church Building Council; Rowlands Trust; Lasletts Charity; and Hereford Historic Churches Trust.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.

Further information:
HLF Press Office: Vicky Wilford 020 7591 6165
vickyw@hlf.org.uk

Diocese of Hereford: Catherine Cashmore Communications Director 01432 373342 catherine.cashmore@hereford.anglican.org

Brampton Abbotts Church Regeneration Group: Samantha Hine Project Manager 07974 772840 sam@samhine.co.uk

Update from Brampton Abbotts Church Regeneration Group

It’s now nearly 10 years since St Michael and All Angels closed in the autumn of 2008.

10 years on we are quietly confident that the final pieces of the repairs project funding jigsaw will fall in to place and that work to renovate the building will start later this year.

BAcRG is working hard on the Daily Bread project, commissioning the detailed design of the re-ordering that will see space in the building converted in to an artisan bakery, café and community venue whilst retaining the Chancel to celebrate the heritage of the building and for occasional worship.

Working closely with the Diocese of Hereford and Revd Sarah Jones on behalf of the PCC a programme of community events and activities is being developed by BAcRG to raise awareness of the plans for the building and to get people involved in its future. We recently welcomed local arts project “Whispering Across Centuries” organised by Darren Williams and John Sherahilo with participants from Wye Valley Art Society, Herefordshire Art and Craft Society, West Gloucestershire Arts Society, Hereford College of Arts, Ross Photography and Herefordshire Photography Society.

There will be a touring exhibition of their work captured and created at St. Michael’s in 2019.
If you would like to find out more or to get more involved in the Daily Bread project please contact Sam, our project manager, on sam@samhine.co.uk or 07974 772840, or any member of the BAcRG Board.

To keep up to date with the project please visit our Facebook page.

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Update from Brampton Abbotts Church Regeneration Group

2018 brings the start of what we hope will be a really important and exciting year for the Daily Bread project at St Michael’s.

The Diocese of Hereford has submitted a round 2 Heritage Lottery Fund application and we hope to hear the outcome of that bid by early March. If successful the HLF funding will pay for the repairs to the building and will also deliver a series of heritage activities for local people to get involved in.

BACRG is now actively seeking funding to undertake the re-ordering and development works that will be needed to implement the Daily Bread proposals.

At the end of 2017 BACRG was successful in securing funds from both Awards for All and the Architectural Heritage Fund towards the costs of a project manager.

Sam Hine, of Communities Can, a community development company www.communities-can.co.uk has been appointed and will work alongside the BACRG Community Interest Company Board of Directors to deliver the project.

Sam brings a wealth of experience of community based schemes and is looking forward to working in Brampton Abbotts.

Sam said,

“I am delighted to be the Project Manager for the Brampton Abbotts Daily Bread. It’s a fantastic project to bring an important heritage building back in to community use.

The idea of a micro artisan bakery, based within the church is very exciting – through the project we’ll create an innovative community enterprise and a welcoming place for local people and visitors to the area to meet and enjoy the building and its amazing views.”

Anyone interested in getting more involved in the Daily Bread project should contact Sam on sam@samhine.co.uk or 07974 772840.

To keep up to date with the project please visit our Facebook page.

ENDS