The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards Kingsley Hall Heritage Project £4.7M

We have some brilliant news to share…The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £4.7M towards our Kingsley Hall Heritage Project: Making Young Lives Better! Read more here.

We can now look forward to delivering our plans to transform Kingsley Hall – our charity’s base and Grade II* listed building – into a welcoming space that will provide training, support and housing for young people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or leaving care.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund support is matched by very generous support from Bristol City Council, The Nisbet Trust, John James Bristol Foundation, The West of England Combined Authority, The Clothworkers’ Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation, Historic England, The Tuixen Foundation, The Pilgrim Trust, The Blagrave Trust and The Architectural Heritage Fund.

This transformative support means we can create new safe and welcoming spaces where young people will find the support they need to develop essential skills, build healthy relationships, self-belief and good mental health, paving their way to education and employment.

And that’s not all! We will also deliver a new 5-year programme of heritage activities providing even more opportunities for young people to build their skills and confidence through co-creation of heritage and cultural activities, traineeships, apprenticeships, work experience, artistic explorations, events, training and co-designing the new building.

Take a look at our exciting plans here!

Young people are at the heart of this project – their active participation and valuable expertise have shaped it into what it is today. Together, they are co-creating the foundation for a brighter future for their peers across the Southwest.

Thank you

We could not have achieved this milestone without the incredible efforts of our amazing Heritage Youth Board and young people, the dedication of our Heritage Project team, the backing of our regional partner organisations and funders, the support of Bristol City Council’s planning team, our 1625 colleagues, the amazing team at the Heritage Fund, and our wonderful community of supporters across the Southwest.

Amy Hook, our Heritage Participation and Engagement Worker, has been sharing the good news with young people involved in the project – this is how some of them reacted:

“It’s been great working on the project, I’m looking forward to the building innovation. Brilliant news!”

“OMG, WE DID IT! I’m so happy with the project and the involvement I’ve had with it. Everyone involved has been amazing to work with and I’m so proud to be a part of the team throughout this project. It has been an incredible experience and journey to undergo. Truly a special project.”

“I’m so excited for the news and what the future will be for 1625.”

1625’s Heritage Youth Board.

Call for support

This transformative heritage project has provided a unique platform to bring together and harness local community and business support for young people who are homeless and leaving care. The Kingsley Hall Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund and our other generous supporters. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can continue to explore Kingsley Hall’s vibrant social history with young people and co-deliver a fully restored and transformed safe place for young people in the heart of Bristol. 

However, we still need vital support to meet the remaining shortfall in funds  

We would love to hear from you if you can help, whether through fundraising or skilled pro bono volunteering. Please get in touch with Hannah at hannah.camm@1625ip.co.uk if you would like to hear more.

What next?

We’ve all taken a breath over the Christmas break, and now the work begins again! With construction beginning in August this year, we’re gearing up to moving 1625 colleagues and services out of Kingsley Hall until summer 2027 when the building work is complete.

Watch this space for the launch of our Heritage Activity Plan, new Heritage Trainees joining the team, and a brilliant array of creative heritage projects and training for young people.

We have just begun new recruitment to our heritage team, with two exciting posts below:

Heritage Project – Education, Employment, Training and Volunteer Worker

Heritage Participation and Engagement Worker

We are also recruiting our Heritage Project evaluators – for more info and the brief, please contact hannah.camm@1625ip.co.uk, deadline for proposals Wednesday 19 February.

Please help us by sharing these opportunities!

Upcoming opportunities and activities

Join our Heritage Youth Board: Help shape the design and interpretation of Kingsley Hall and contribute ideas for our projects. As a board member, you’ll consult on heritage interpretation, hear from experts in the field, and discover new career opportunities.

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Grace at grace.swordy@1625ip.co.uk

Want to find out more? Get in touch with the team!