Doncaster Minster

Doncaster Minister is an icon of Doncaster and is strategically placed within the town centre. It is currently undergoing restoration work to increase access to the historical site to enable all members of the community to enjoy their local heritage. The Minster is also undergoing an envisioning and rejuvenating exercise in order to look to the future and the role it will play in the regeneration of Doncaster. 

The project aims to open access to the building and surrounding site, increase the heritage access to the wider community and increase education and social events held at the Minster for the benefit of the wider community.

Position when Doncaster Minster heritage project contacted TfR
Debbie Price the Heritage Access Worker tells: ‘The mid term monitoring return for the 2 Year funding period for the Heritage Access and Development worker post at the Minister was returned by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as they weren’t happy with what was submitted.

The post was funded by Heritage Lottery to enable wider access and participation of facilities and use of the minister to disadvantaged groups and the wider community in the centre of Doncaster and we were in imminent danger of losing that post’.

What TfR did to help
‘The TfR adviser sorted the project out – it had been in a mess!  We needed professional help, and TfR provided it by helping us to identify the right information needed to go into the HLF return for us to be able to draw down the 2nd stage of funding. Debbie continued: ‘TfR has been fantastic. I have so much respect for what they did for the Minster project  - every time I have dealt with them their response has been absolutely spot on. They approach everything in a professional way, and when they tell me that things will be ok, I know that they will be’.

What have been the results of TfR’s help?
‘Most importantly the money was released for the 2nd tranche of the Heritage Access and Development worker post at the Minister – and the project was able to continue. The TfR adviser helped us to put budgeting and monitoring systems in place, and as a result of this we are now monitoring clearly and effectively and we have a clear understanding of the budget. We are now fully aware of what we have to spend, and we are monitoring it’.

What was particularly valued about the support you received from TfR
Debbie said: ‘TfR offered us support and guidance when no one else knew what to do. They gave me the confidence to take forward the project by involving others, eg letting people know how much money the project had to spend on specific areas.  I would certainly use TfR again, because of the professional way in which they helped our project’.

To find out more, contact TfR or Doncaster Minster