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Viva Arts Soham - Spencer Mill Project Supported by the AHF
6 July 2018
England
The AHF is supporting Viva Arts with a Project Development Grant of £30,000 towards towards bringing the derelict Spencer Mill in Soham back to life as a community and cultural hub for the area. Viva Arts has been delivering arts and heritage projects for 20 years and has staged some memorable shows.
Matthew Mckeague, CEO of the AHF said:
We’re very pleased to be supporting Viva Arts’ plans to transform the derelict Spencer Mill in Soham. Their arts and theatre work is clearly much loved by the local community and the regeneration of this important piece of local industrial heritage will give them the stage to do so much more.
The Mill is an acknowledged rare survivor of a once thriving milling industry employing many people, shaping the town and its economy. Viva’s vision is to create a community theatre with a vibrant programme as well as a community space that is available for hire by the community. The project will create jobs, help local people develop transferable skills and once again position the Mill building as an important contributor to the local economy.
Viva’s director Daniel Schumann said:
This is a hugely ambitious project with enormous potential to bring significant and lasting positive economic and community benefits to Soham and the surrounding area. This development grant is a major step forward and we are thrilled that The Architectural Heritage Fund have given us this opportunity.
The Spencer Mill project is also supported by East Cambridgeshire District Council.
Editor’s Notes
The Architectural Heritage Fund is a registered charity, working since 1976 to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas. We are the leading heritage social investor and the only specialist heritage lender operating in the UK. We provide advice, development grants and loans.
For press enquiries please contact the AHF at 020 79250199 / ahf@ahfund.org.uk