The IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance scheme for heritage services – emails members weekly ‘News and Tender Alerts’, with notices from across the development sector’s publications, and this week asks HESPR members if they have capacity for pro bono support to ‘… help save Abingdon’s Old Abbey House?
…Council doesn’t have the resources…
…key thing at this stage is to bring together a core team…
Abingdon Civic Society writes:
Old Abbey House is a much-loved historic building in the heart of Abingdon. It is owned by the Vale and has been empty since 2014.
We are pleased that the Council is now actively seeking a way forward for this building. We know how important this is to the people of Abingdon, so we are also pleased that, at last, the Council is willing to talk to the community about ways of retaining Old Abbey House as a facility for the people of this town.
There is no shortage of ideas about how the building could be used, but it is clear that the Council doesn’t have the resources to do all of this for us: it will take a major community effort to achieve this. A team needs to be assembled with the skills and commitment to make this happen. There is much work to be done: applying for grants, preparing a business plan, assessing refurbishment needs and costs, managing the project, and more. People with a wide range of skills and perspectives will be needed. Lots of other towns are doing similar things – it can be done, and there is plenty of advice and support available on how to do it. The key thing at this stage is to bring together a core team of people with the necessary skills, time and commitment to start taking the project forward.
If you think you could be part of that team, please email us as soon as possible for an informal discussion.
The Vale of White Horse District Council has issued a press release about the future of Old Abbey House
To find out more on HESPR see our ’Find Services’ or explore our ‘Join HESPR’ sections.
See more IHBC and HESPR news on IHBC’s Conservation Wiki
For more on HESPR and how to become a HESPR member see hespr.ihbc.org.uk
For a free promotion of your tendering opportunities and work needs to the IHBC’s HESPR members, please send details and links to Joanna at contact@ihbc.org.uk, as soon as possible.
Tenders can also be advertised for a fee with IHBC Jobs etc, including a targeted email to 2000+ recipients as well as full coverage on our NewsBlog alerts and social platforms (membership and followers c.18,000) and websites with c. 290,000 visits a month. Contact Joanna at contact@ihbc.org.uk
