St Andrew’s Kirk Ports receives promise of £100,000
December 2022
St Andrew’s Kirk Ports receives promise of £100,000
North Berwick Environment and Heritage Trust has received a promise of £100,000 towards the costs of saving St Andrew’s Kirk Ports in the heart of North Berwick’s conservation area. We hope to consolidate this ‘picturesque ruin', reinstate the iconic bell-shaped roof on the tower, and make the 17th-century kirk with its historic graveyard available once again for community use. Possible activities range from special events, such as performances and story-telling, to weddings and commemorations. The kirk could also become a heritage hub, providing information about the town’s history and pointing visitors to other interesting sites in the town. To kick-start the major fundraising campaign, North Berwick Trust has promised to award a grant of £100,000 once the group is within sight of its anticipated £750,000 target.
After a busy year of activities, the Trust has increased its membership and now has a website (https://www.nbenvironmentheritagetrust.com) with an online giving page to help reach out to the community and attract funds for the St Andrew’s Kirk Ports project and other projects.
NBEHT Chair Olwyn Owen said: "To say I’m delighted would be an understatement. I believe that this generous offer will help to turbocharge our efforts to raise funds from other sources, both from the major heritage grant-giving bodies (such as Historic Environment Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund) and from other trusts and individual donors. The offer of a substantial grant from NBT gives the project credibility – and gives us the confidence to start fundraising in earnest in the new year. We still have a mountain to climb, but this is the best possible start”.
“We’re working on creating a ’shop window’ for St Andrew’s Kirk Ports in one of the former telephone boxes at Westgate, which is an opportunity to raise awareness of the project in the community”. NBT’s offer is contingent on sufficient other funds being raised, but the group has been given a window of three years to meet its overall target.