Who pays for the work carried out by the Trust?
The basic income of the Trust has always come from the activities of the 'Friends' who have raised money through subscriptions, donations, open days and private visits, sale of booklets, gift aid receipts and bank interest.
In recent years grant funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council have enabled us to greatly expand the scope of the work and enlist the neccessary services of professionals in different fields, both during the excavation but also during the vitally important post excavation follow up on the desktop and in the laboratory.
A 'Your Heritage' grant was awarded in 2002, to run until 2005, from the Heritage Lottery Fund. With reference to this, Susannah England, the Countryside Agency's Local Heritage Initiative Adviser for the North West remarked:
"The Local Heritage Initiative recognises that the long term future of our local heritage lies in the hands of those who value it at local level. Even a small grant can make a vital difference to a local community and we are actively seeking enquiries from local groups in Cheshire for funding for heritage work of the type of quality displayed at Mellor."
Read the Local Heritage Initiative Reports on the project Phase 1 Phase 2
A 'Your Heritage' grant was awarded in 2002, to run until 2005, from the Heritage Lottery Fund. With reference to this, Susannah England, the Countryside Agency's Local Heritage Initiative Adviser for the North West remarked:
"The Local Heritage Initiative recognises that the long term future of our local heritage lies in the hands of those who value it at local level. Even a small grant can make a vital difference to a local community and we are actively seeking enquiries from local groups in Cheshire for funding for heritage work of the type of quality displayed at Mellor."
Read the Local Heritage Initiative Reports on the project Phase 1 Phase 2
Also in 2005 we received a welcome addition in the form of a grant from the Robert Kiln Trust as result of success in the British Archaeology Awards.
At the end of 2006, thanks to a tremendous amount of hard work by our Chairman, John Hearle, we were awarded a substantial grant of £455,700.00 from the Heritage Lottery Fund in order to broaden the aims of the project to include all of the Parish of Mellor and Ludworth (Marple Bridge) and make it as accessible as possible to the public through publications, displays and heritage trails.
At the end of 2006, thanks to a tremendous amount of hard work by our Chairman, John Hearle, we were awarded a substantial grant of £455,700.00 from the Heritage Lottery Fund in order to broaden the aims of the project to include all of the Parish of Mellor and Ludworth (Marple Bridge) and make it as accessible as possible to the public through publications, displays and heritage trails.
The total cost of the Mellor Heritage Project is put at £723,300.00 which includes cash contributions from the Trust itself and from Stockport Metropolitan Council, but the largest part of the match funding which makes up this cost will be in the form of volunteer time.