# £600,000 available for threatened high street buildings

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/02/28/600000-available-for-threatened-high-street-buildings/
- Published: 2020-02-28T09:05:50+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Communities working together to save popular buildings and spaces can now apply
for a share of a new £600,000 pot from the Architectural Heritage Fund.**

The [Architectural Heritage Fund](http://ahfund.org.uk/) is a funding partner on
the [Community Shares Booster Programm](https://communitysharesbooster.org.uk/)e,
alongside Power to Change. The programme, delivered by [Co-operatives UK](https://www.uk.coop/)
in partnership with Locality, is a funding scheme to support community share offers.
The wider fund is open to a range of projects with AHF’s contribution ring fenced
for heritage projects that play an important role in high street revival and the
economic resilience of an area.

The new £600,000 injection of funding will pay for grants of up to £10,000 to community
businesses, helping them launch community share offers. Equity investments of up
to £50,000 to match amounts raised in community shares are also available.

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Marsden Grocery Community Benefit Society (pictured) is located in a conservation
area near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and is one of the first community businesses
to receive investment from the Architectural Heritage Fund, via the Programme. It
has received matched investment of £6,650 towards its community share offer, which
saw 396 local people come together raise over £53,000 to set up a co-operative grocery
store after their local greengrocers closed.

Fiona Russell, Chair of Marsden Grocery Community Benefit Society, said:

>  “Marsden can feel a long way away from anywhere, particularly for older people
> and those struggling to make ends meet. Losing our greengrocers felt like a real
> moment of threat in our community. We were seriously worried that other retail
> businesses would follow and that our self-sufficiency, which is a village hallmark,
> would be lost.” “Support from the Community Shares Booster programme has been 
> so important to the development of the shop. It gave us much-needed hope when 
> we felt daunted by how much we had to raise. And the process of assessment itself
> was really helpful. It made us really think through the choices we were making
> and our business plan is far stronger for having to go through such a rigorous
> procedure. All in all, it’s strengthened our planning, built our confidence.”

Matthew Mckeague, CEO at the Architectural Heritage Fund, said:

> “The Architectural Heritage Fund has been investing in community share offers 
> for a number of years, including co-operative pubs such as the Ivy House in Peckham
> and workspaces such as Portland Works in Sheffield. We are excited by this new
> partnership with Co-operatives UK and look forward to working with them in supporting
> community businesses that will breathe new life into high streets and town centres
> through the regeneration of historic buildings.” 

More information for communities wanting to find out more or who are considering
community share offers is available on the [Community Shares Booster site](https://communitysharesbooster.org.uk/apply).

 

Photo credit: Katie Byram

 * **[AHF invites applications for next round of Transformational Project Grants](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/07/14/ahf-invites-applications-for-next-round-of-transformational-project-grants/)**(
   14 July 2020)
 * **[Free mentoring & training available for English heritage organisations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/10/20/free-mentoring-training-available-for-english-heritage-organisations/)**(
   20 October 2020)
 * **[Free support available for heritage sector individuals & organisations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/07/23/free-support-available-for-heritage-sector-individuals-organisations/)**(
   23 July 2021)

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