Fund Raising Passes the £40,000 Mark!

The public has really taken our appeal to heart with donations coming in from all over the country and even from abroad! In less than three months the public has donated a remarkable £26,000 to our appeal.

This has been boosted further by 3 recent grants totalling £14,000! The Rothley History Society have donated £2,000, the Harry Hames Cottage Charity, which is administered by Rothley Parish Council, has given a grant of £5,000 and we have just been awarded a further £7,000 grant from another charity who's name we will release once we have permission to do so.

This has taken our appeal total to £40,000 with only £16,000 still remaining to be raised to release the £540,000 grant from Lafarge Tarmac's Landfill Community Fund.

Time is running out though as the terms of Lafarge Tarmac's grant mean that the heritage centre has to be complete by July 16th 2015, which in turn means that we need to raise the remaining match funding by July this year to be able to achieve the completion date target.

If you haven't donated yet time is running out. Donations of any amount, large or small are greatly appreciated. Our "sponsor a brick appeal" has proved hugely popular, particular with families wanting to sponsor a brick or donors sponsoring bricks as presents for friends or in memory of someone. Bricks cost £50 to sponsor and names of sponsors will appear on a large commemorative plaque in the heritage centre tea room. Larger donors are also recognised on a further role of honour that will appear in the heritage centre.

For details of how to donate and where to send your cheque to, see our donation form. If you are a UK tax payer don't forget to download a Gift Aid form. Completed gift aid forms sent in with your donation will allow us to claim an additional 25% from the taxman at no additional cost to you.

If the company you work for has a charitable fund that supports local good causes, please get in touch to let us know.

Together with your help we can reach our target! 

Local Children Learn About Nature at the Nunckley Trail

Our latest Wildlife Warriors event was another resounding success! Despite the poor weather forecast the sun shone and we all stayed dry.
 

This event focused on bees. The children were able to learn about the important role bees play in pollinating a wide range of crops to make every day things we use ranging from sun flower oil to cotton for the clothes we wear.

They learnt how to make a bumble bee nest for their gardens at home and undertook a bee themed scavenger hunt around the Nunckley Trail.

 

We would like to thank the Mercury News Agents on Leicester Road Mountsorrel who kindly provide juice and biscuits for those attending.

Wildlife Warriors events are free to attend, although donations are welcome towards our heritage centre appeal fund.

To help raise further money for our appeal fund, through May, June and early July we are running a programme of evening visits for local Brownie, Guide, Scout, Rainbows and other young people groups.

 

Last Tuesday 1st Quorn Brownies came to learn about the different birds that can be found along the Nunckley Trail. At a safe distance they were able to observe nesting birds flying in and out of the many bird boxes erected around the trail by our volunteers. They were also able to learn how to identify birds by the bird song they sing and there was a nature and history quiz.

 

If you run a local young people group who would like to visit the Nunckley Trail and sponsor bricks for our heritage centre appeal, please get in touch as there are just a few dates still available.

 

 

A big thank you to all our volunteers who allow these visits to take place! 

Heritage Centre Fund Raising Reaches Half Way Mark!

It is a little over two months since we launched our appeal to raise the match funding of £56,000 required to release the £540,000 grant we have been conditionally awarded to create the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre.

The support from the public has been tremendous with a remarkable £28,000 raised so far. This takes us half way towards our target.

The £540,000 grant is conditional on the heritage centre being complete by July 16th 2015. To be able to achieve this we will need to raise the remaining match funding within the next two month.

If you have already donated or have sponsored a brick then thank you very much indeed! If you haven't donated yet then now is the time to help make a difference. We are tantalising close to our target and with your help we will get there.

Donations of any amount large or small are very welcome. Our "sponsor a brick appeal" has proved hugely popular, particular with families wanting to sponsor a brick or donors sponsoring bricks as presents for friends or in memory of someone. Bricks cost £50 to sponsor and names of sponsors will appear on a large commemorative plaque in the heritage centre tea room. Larger donors are also recognised on a further role of honour that will appear in the heritage centre.

For details of how to donate and where to send your cheque to, see our donation form. If you are a UK tax payer don't forget to download a Gift Aid form. Completed gift aid forms sent in with your donation will allow us to claim an additional 25% from the taxman at no additional cost to you.

If the company you work for has a charitable fund that supports local good causes, please get in touch to let us know.

Together with your help we can reach our target!   

Government Minister Visits Project

Recently promoted cabinet minister Nicky Morgan took time from her busy schedule to visit the project and learn about our plans to create a community heritage centre for the villages of Mountsorrel and Rothley.

Nicky took time to understand the benefits the heritage centre and other elements of the scheme will bring. She also viewed the restoration work the volunteers have undertaken on the Mountsorrel Railway and toured the Nunckley Trail, which has been created by community volunteers and school children.

Nicky commented that she found the scheme "inspiring" and was particularly impressed by the project's commitment to being as inclusive as possible for visitors with disabilities and how the project has brought our local communities together.

Nicky has pledge her full support and looks forward to seeing the project progress over the coming months.