‘Without this funding, winter would have been scary’

ONCE an empty church with an uncertain future, a historic building in Buckfastleigh is now at the heart of community life – and a £400,000-plus funding award will help ensure it stays that way.

Moor Imagination Collective (MIC), which has transformed the Grade II Methodist church in the town into a thriving community hub, has secured more than £400,000 for urgent repairs.

Co-founder Sophie Lovett said the grant had come as a huge relief, with the building increasingly in need of attention.

‘Without this funding, this winter would have been quite scary’, she said.

The award, made through Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, will pay for essential work including replacing the main roof, repairing roof timbers and the external façade, restoring historic sash windows and the front portico, and improving fire safety and accessibility.

Sophie said the team was still coming to terms with the news after discovering a couple of weeks ago that its application had been successful.

‘It was a bit like pinching ourselves, thinking, “Oh my God, we’ve actually just got that”’, she said.

‘It is the biggest grant that we have got, and it takes the money we have raised to more than £1 million, which is really exciting’.

Established in March 2022, MIC was set up to secure the former church and give it a new purpose as a space for people to meet, socialise and take part in activities.

However, the condition of the building has made the repairs increasingly urgent.

‘Last year, we noticed that the roof had started leaking, and more panes of glass were falling out of the windows’, Sophie said.

She explained that income generated by the centre was not enough to cover major maintenance costs.

‘Our revenue doesn’t bring in enough extra money to be able to pay for repairs’, she added.

The project is being funded by Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Capital Fund grant programme.

This new grant programme has been launched to support urgent repairs and regeneration of historic buildings at risk, particularly in deprived areas, aligning with government priorities on community wellbeing, economic growth, and levelling up.

Alongside protecting the historic building, the improvements will help MIC expand its activities and welcome more people.

Plans include installing a fire escape at the rear and exploring ways to bring the gallery above the main hall into use.

‘At the moment, we are restricted in terms of capacity on this level because we have only got one exit’, Sophie said.

‘That is starting to become a problem for events because we are selling out a lot of events’.

The centre now offers a varied programme throughout the week, including Spanish conversation sessions, tai chi and stay-and-play activities for young families.

Its café, The Lounge, opens on Fridays and Sundays, while weekends bring gigs, comedy and other events.

But for Sophie, the project is about more than preserving a historic building or providing a venue - it is about bringing people together

‘We are trying to create a welcoming space for everyone in the community to be able to come together and rebuild the connections that have been lost in our individualistic times’, she said.