Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust has today announced that Tricolor Associates will provide project development support on the Abbey’s stable block project which will see a former block of stables transformed into a hub for social enterprise and wellbeing.
With extensive expertise as arts, culture and heritage consultants, Tricolor will support the Abbey team to create a social hub that responds to the needs of the local community. They will advise and support with fundraising, community consultation, activity plans, business plan development, and interpretation helping to tell the vast stories of the site.
The project, which has received support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is due for completion in autumn 2025.
Jane Beattie, Director at Tricolor Associates said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been appointed to this really important, unique project that will have such a positive impact on the communities in and around Northampton. During the pandemic, the way that we all began to use and understand historic places and parklands changed. The Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust has already undertaken so much positive work in supporting and promoting both physical and mental wellbeing – the development of the Stables will now give this a permanent home; putting these beautiful historic buildings back into sustainable use, creating a supportive community and making a real difference.”
Richard Clinton, Chief Executive of Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Tricolor on this exciting project. Through previous work with the Trust to date, and continued other work focussed on Northampton, it was apparent through the tender process that Tricolor have a strong understanding of the community need and opportunities. They demonstrated how they would support not only the physical development of the Stables project but the continued development of the Trust, its staff and volunteers. With their considerable experience and expertise within the sector, together with their ethos of putting people and audiences at the very heart of projects, we felt that they were perfectly aligned with the stables project and will add genuine value to the project team.”
£477,000 of development funding was awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2022 to help Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust progress their plans, and to further engage members of the community and partners. The trust will be submitting a delivery stage bid in the autumn of 2023 with the hope to raise all the necessary funds to start the restoration in spring 2024.
This project aims to carry out essential restoration work on a number of buildings that are at risk, all of which sit within the grounds of the historic 12th century Abbey. Once complete, the project aims to improve the mental and physical health of local residents through green social prescribing, building on programmes to date such as Delapré Wellbeing and complementing the existing visitor attraction.
The project will also aim to create 42 jobs and support a thriving visitor economy. The development of the site will allow investment through a social return in creative, physical and mindful wellbeing programmes, working with numerous partners and cementing Delapré Abbey as a key community asset in improving wellbeing.
Early work to develop the feasibility plans and options appraisals for the project has been funded by Architectural Heritage Fund through their Project Development Grant Cultural Recovery Programme.
