Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides have pledged £2,500 to become Corporate Founding Supporters of the Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn heritage project.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn project will bring interpretation and conservation to the abbey site as well as create an overarching visitor experience encompassing the Cathedral and Abbey Gardens with improved footpaths, activities and events and creating a visitor centre facing onto Angel Hill. It will be a major Suffolk tourism attraction and an important gathering place for the local community.
The Tour Guides have been active and vocal supporters of the project since its beginnings. Adrian Tindall, chair of the Tour Guides, says “The time has come to turn words into action and we wanted to show our support in a tangible way. We’re most excited about the potential of this project to extend the reach of the town to wider audiences both across Suffolk and further afield.”
Visitors from around 30 different countries have taken tours of the town, but the guides hope to see even more nationalities represented after the project’s completion. “Bury St Edmunds was a magnet for pilgrimage in medieval times and we’d love to see more visitors from further afield discovering the town, as well as helping residents learn more about where they live,” adds Adrian.
Photo: Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides with Abbey Board members (L to R: Matthew Vernon (St Edmundsbury Cathedral), Damien Parker (West Suffolk Council) and Alan Baxter (Abbey Heritage Partnership)
The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury welcomed the pledge, “We need to raise around £2.5million in addition to the important support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Support from our local community is vital to this and it is our hope that other local organisations and groups will wish to make similar pledges to the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides.”
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, West Suffolk Council and English Heritage (the project partners) have come together as members of The Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership (comprising 29 organisations and individuals who care about the Abbey) to develop and deliver this project.
