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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£162.4K
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Spending
£114.4K
Public benefits
Gracehill Old School Trust’s objects are “to preserve and protect for the public benefit building or structures of particular beauty or of historic environmental architectural industrial or constructional merit or interest in and near Gracehill in the County of Antrim and to restore renovate and conserve parkland planned landscapes and other open
spaced and land related to such buildings or structures.” Having overseen its restoration, the Trust now manages Gracehill Old School, the Grade B listed former primary school in the Moravian settlement and Conservation Area of Gracehill. As well as providing sustainable income from rental of portions of the premises and community facilities, the building also houses a mock schoolroom which is open to organised tours and an exhibition which is open to the public during the building’s opening hours and by arrangement outside normal business hours. This centre outlines the history of the Moravian people and their settlement at Gracehill and contains interpretative panels and exhibits. The Trust facilitates organisations who wish to visit the village with tours by local volunteer guides. The Trust has also overseen the renovation of the Village Square including the reinstatement of the village pond. And the Trust has also acquired the former Village Shop with a view to renovating and restoring this building in a similar project to the Old School subject to obtaining funding. These initiatives directly benefit the users of the community facilities within the Old School and visitors to the interpretative centre and school room. They indirectly benefit those organisations that make use of the organised tours of the village and the tenants who are provided with suitable premises for their businesses. It also has wider benefit to the community at large through the retention and restoration of buildings of historic significance in a conservation area. These benefits are all recognisable, identifiable, definable and capable of description and are all beneficial. The intended beneficiaries are sections of the public who live in the village or visit the village and use its premises. The wider public also benefit through enhanced public understanding of the history of Moravians and the settlement in Gracehill and through access being granted to historic buildings and architectural features which are also being preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
What we do On a day-to-day basis, the Trust manages Gracehill Old School. This involves liaising with the four tenants, looking after the maintenance of the building and keeping all the financial records necessary for the submission of annual accounts to Companies House and returns to HM Revenue and Customs. As a leading tourist attraction, the
Trust, in co-operation with Gracehill Moravian Church, facilitates organisations who wish to visit the village and learn more about the settlement, founded in 1759, and its interesting history and architecture. There are volunteer guides who undertake this role. The Trust has worked with Ballymena Borough Council to produce a tourist leaflet and maintains a good working relationship with the Council and its officers. The Trust has also worked with the church to restore the village square and other Trust volunteers help with the maintenance of it and the village environs in general. Having acquired the old village shop, the Trust is embarking on another restoration programme. Until funding is available, the Trust volunteers will be engaged in ongoing minor maintenance of the building.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of environmental protection or improvement
Who the charity helps
- General public
How the charity works
- Environment/sustainable development/conservation
- Heritage/historical
