Dronfield Heritage Trust, the organisation which runs Dronfield Hall Barn on the town’s High Street, has been awarded a grant of £237,281 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help preserve the Barn and gardens “for everyone’s enjoyment” for years to come.
Announcing the grant, the Heritage Fund said the award is “to improve organisational sustainability and maintain Dronfield Hall Barn as a Heritage Centre and Community Hub.”
To celebrate the grant award, the charity is joining in the National Lottery Open Week 15th – 23rd March to say #ThanksToYou for supporting great causes. Visitors presenting a valid lottery ticket will be offered one free hot drink when purchasing food.
Dronfield Heritage Trust is currently celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the restoration of the Grade II* listed medieval building which dates back to 1430. The Barn was originally restored and extended with the support of the Heritage Fund and other generous donations, and the new grant will make sure the historic building will continue to act as a community, cultural and event centre for future generations.
The Trust runs a varied events programme covering heritage, artisan markets, exhibitions, festivals, weddings and corporate gatherings and also has a popular coffee shop.
Trust chairman Alan Powell said: “We are extremely grateful to have received further support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is thanks to National Lottery players that this grant will help heritage buildings like ours to continue to prosper and grow.
“Since The Barn was restored ten years ago, we have become a vital part of Dronfield’s community and cultural life and with this new grant award we can look forward with confidence to many more years of activity.
The announcement of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s award to Dronfield Heritage Trust can be found here: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/decisions/england-midlands-east-delegated-decisions-january-2025#heading-3
Media contact: Louise Third MBE, Trustee
07773 288342 / louise@louisethird.com
About Dronfield Heritage Trust
Dronfield Heritage Trust is the custodian of the Dronfield Hall Barn, a historic Grade II* listed building dating back to 1430. The Barn was restored and extended with the support of a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant and generous public donations. The work was completed in 2015 and the building opened to the public in 2016. In addition to the Barn Coffee Shop, the venue runs a varied events programme covering artisan markets, exhibitions, festivals, weddings, wakes, parties, and corporate gatherings.
Local community groups regularly use the space and the surrounding grounds provide a beautiful setting for special events and casual visitors. A team of volunteers and partners works year round to create a vibrant historic community hub for Dronfield and district.
Dronfield Heritage Trust is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. The Board of Trustees has overall strategic responsibility for the project.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
