Funding boost for St Peter's Sudbury

We are delighted that St Peter’s Church in Sudbury, Suffolk, has been awarded a sum of £75,000 by Babergh District Council towards the £2.5million St Peter’s regeneration project in Sudbury. This comes in addition to the Council’s award of £100,000 pledged last year.

The Grade I listed St Peter’s church has stood at the heart of community life in Sudbury, Suffolk since the 14th century and has been in the care of CCT since 1976. Sadly, the years have not been kind to St Peter’s, and the church is deteriorating to a point where the building’s future as a space for events and culture has become uncertain. The roof of the church is leaking and urgent, expensive repair work is needed to make the building watertight.

The planned regeneration project will repair and regenerate St Peter’s as a cultural centre for the town, embedding it further into the heart of Sudbury for generations to come. Through enhanced historical interpretation, improved facilities and a varied cultural and activity programme, it will also build upon St Peter’s traditions as a site for the exchange of memories, experiences, ideas and industry. Plans for St Peter’s include one of the first accessible bell-ringing platforms, with the bell ropes dropping through to a new mezzanine level and accessible to anyone with mobility issues by a platform lift.

Speaking to the Suffolk Free Press Online Babergh District Council leader John Ward stated: “This is essential for Babergh’s and the town council’s vision for Sudbury.

The Churches Conservation Trust has put together a very ambitious but exciting plan for the renovation. They have been able to put together grants and funding from a number of sources, including ourselves at Babergh, and have now put in a very strong bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the remaining funding.

This is a project we really do want to see succeed because it is going to be excellent for Sudbury.”

In October 2019 CCT launched an annual appeal to raise funds to save St Peter’s, which was followed by a crowdfunding campaign in February, both of which saw members of the public generously giving towards the cause. In March, we were also delighted to be awarded a £226,000 grant from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the project, which has been vital in enabling CCT to get closer to the National Lottery Heritage Fund match funding target for this £2.5 million project.

Allison Burke, Development Officer for the Churches Conservation Trust, added: “I would like to thank Babergh District Council for playing a key role in this regeneration project by approving our CIL bid.

We are also immensely grateful for the ongoing support from the council with our bid for further project funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, helping us to realise our vision for the church and wider community.”

Thank you to all who have supported the project to see St Peter’s transformed into a community hub that celebrates the church's and the town's history.