Twelfth Century Thatcham Building Saved as a Result of Grant

An august body that goes by the name of The Old Bluecoat School Trust is feeling pretty pleased with itself at the moment as the result of Thatcham Town Council in Berkshire agreeing to pay an annual grant of £1,000 to help towards the upkeep of the building that dates from 1304.

It may seem a small amount in view of the fact that estimates for essential works in itself run to the best part of £120,000. But in such difficult fiscal times any money is good money, and the only action that the Trust have to take is to offer the building for fifteen days use a year.

At the meeting of the finance and general purposes committee, Trust chairman, Clive Williams, was in attendance to outline the steps that had been taken  to raise funds for the refurbishment of the Grade I-listed building to bring it back into public use.

Old Blue Coat School in Thatcham, Berkshire

With the not unsubstantial sum of £120,000 looming in the  background, he explained that the charity has applied for various grants, and, at the end of last year, a promise of £60,000 was secured from Greenham Common Trust if match funding could be obtained.

Mr Williams said that an application was to be submitted soon to the Wolfson Foundation for £60,000, and that other bodies had been approached in order to secure a further £80,000 for ‘highly desirable’ work.

Owen Jeffrey, the local councillor for Thatcham South and Crookham felt that support was essential in view of the work that the Trust had carried out in ensuring that the building had not already been disposed of. He felt that it was a’very, very reasonable request’, and added: “It has the potential to be an extremely worthwhile investment by the town council.”

Further support was forthcoming from the leader of the town council, Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham north), who added: “The ability to have a unique venue within the town and also look to extend the use should be credited.” As a result of all this positive talk, the decision was unanimous.

Although the money being offered by the council is not large, it is felt that it should have a positive effect on other attempts to raise money as it is from the council and represents a regular income stream.

Mr Williams said that a funding stream from the council could help attract other donations, and that, in the future, the trust would like to be in the financial position to have a paid employee as everyone working to rescue the building was currently doing so on a voluntary basis.

English Heritage has described the building as “one of the most important buildings in the area and of national importance”.

http://www.oldbluecoatschool.org.uk/