A group hoping to convert a disused Cumbrian church into a visitor centre and community hub has paused its plans.
The Helm at Croglin – named after the famous Helm wind – was awarded £250,000 from the Fund in 2023 but was advised to withdraw due to difficulties in securing match funding.
It was poised to reapply only to learn, just before Christmas, that the new government had closed the fund and cancelled the final round of applications.
The Helm’s trustees met this week and have opted to pause the project to see if new funders or local benefactors can be found to fill the gap left by the Community Ownership Fund.
The Helm’s plans involve renovations and repairs and the installation of a kitchen, accessible toilet, wi-fi and an air-source heat pump.
Once open, it would house displays to tell visitors about the history, landscape and wildlife of the North Pennines, offer a base for school field trips and other groups, a pop-up café, lending library, a home for the village post office and, in winter, a warm hub.
The pews would be removed to create a flexible space for talks, musical recitals, art exhibitions and other activities.
Ruth Lawley, chair of The Helm, said: “This is a good project in an under-resourced area. There are other grants we can apply for but the Community Ownership Fund was our largest funder.
“We can’t proceed without it and, at the moment, there aren’t any other grant-awarding bodies offering that level of support to groups like ours.
“It’s disappointing because the Community Ownership Fund indicated it would look favourably on our second application.”
The Community Ownership Fund was set up to help community groups take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of being lost.
St John the Baptist Church closed in 2012. It is a Grade II listed building that sits at the heart of Croglin.
The Church of England’s Carlisle Diocese had agreed to lease it to the Helm at Croglin, a charitable incorporated organisation, at a peppercorn rent.
Ruth added: “The diocese was keen for us to sign a lease and so take responsibility for insurance and maintenance.
“We aren’t in a position to do that now so we are asking the diocese if it is prepared to wait while we look for other sources of funding.”
