Bolton Council and Banana Enterprise Network have been jointly awarded development funding of £466,662 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their “Rock Hall Revival” project.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the grant will contribute to the Development Stage of the project which will cost approximately £725,000 in total.
The Development Stage of the Rock Hall Revival project will preserve the heritage in Farnworth by redeveloping Rock Hall and enhancing the natural environment of the Moses Gate Country Park.
The redeveloped hall will be a significant resource for the local community and will include a café, multi-use community spaces and interpretive displays.
The greenspace of the park will also be improved, community champions will gain the right skills and knowledge to care for the natural environment, including the new sensory space and the areas where wellbeing activities take place.
The funding will also pay for legal and planning application fees leading up to the acquisition of the building by Banana Enterprise, from Bolton Council via a Community Asset Transfer.
In addition, the Banana Enterprise will be expanding its capacity by using some of the funding to commission specialist consultants and partners who will be appointed to help manage the project.
For example, a heritage expert will help develop a community archive so that a more detailed history of Rock Hall and Farnworth’s paper making industrial past can be shared publicly.
The project, which will begin once the Heritage Fund confirm the start date, will also include some interesting, fun and educational activities for all ages to encourage more people to get involved in their local heritage. There will be activities that are co-designed in conjunction with the community too.
Jayne Allman, the Charity’s CEO, said:
“This is a major achievement for our small Charity. We are just ordinary people who decided to take on this extraordinary challenge.
“Unfortunately, our 2022 bid was unsuccessful, however we submitted a joint funding bid application in partnership with Bolton Council in May 2023 and received the wonderful news that we have been successful.
“We sincerely thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund for agreeing to support the next stage of our project, which gives Rock Hall the lifeline it deserves.
“We wish to thank Bolton Council for agreeing to be a joint grantee and work in partnership with us on the project.
“We also wish to thank our other professional Advisors from Buttress Architects and Heritage Trust Network who have supported us.
“Special thanks also go to our loyal group of Volunteers, Supporters and Trustees for believing in our idea to save Rock Hall. They have consistently provided us with moral and physical support to get us to this stage.”
