Pleasley Pit Secures Biffa Award Grant

Scheduled Ancient Monument Pleasley Pit, managed by green space management charity the Land Trust, has secured a £402,000 grant from Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across England and Northern Ireland as part of the Government's Landfill Communities Fund.

The grant awarded through the Partnership Grants Scheme under the Built Environment theme, will allow vital restoration and refurbishment works to be undertaken at the pit including work on the iconic chimney and the South Heapstead building. Along with the structure works, the grant will allow the Trust to digitise and create a range of interpretation to showcase the history of the site through oral history recordings, video tours, historical timelines, and interactive displays.

Managed in partnership with managing partner William Saunders, the Pleasley Pit Trust and the visitor centre manager and staff, this 150 year old colliery in Pleasley on the Nottinghamshire/ Derbyshire border, is an important historic site that has been rebuilt and restored into a popular local mining heritage museum, visitors centre and café.

The heritage museum is run by the dedicated volunteers from the Pleasley Pit Trust and offers an important glimpse into the past of coal mining. The headstocks, engine-houses and steam winders still remain, allowing for visitors to step back in time to explore and engage with artefacts from a bygone era, as well as learn about social history through the Pit Trust volunteer guides. The visitors centre and café are a valuable community hub engaging with local schools and community groups, as well as hosting an array of events, exhibitions, and educational programmes.

The funding will help to preserve irreplaceable parts of the UK’s mining history and enable the museum and visitors centre to tell the story of the people who worked there for visitors to learn about and enjoy for many more years to come.

Alan Carter, Chief Executive at the Land Trust said: “We are all so pleased we can now start the important works on the chimney and South Heapstead building. Both parts of the site play an important part in the history and heritage of the colliery and house a popular part of the museum that we don’t want to lose.”

“The funding from Biffa Award will enable us to preserve the site for future generations, which is fantastic news. With more and more visitors each year, the interpretation works, interactive displays and timeline will be a real asset and help to engage returning visitors and new.”

Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager said: “Biffa Award is extremely privileged to be able to support the Land Trust through our Partnership Grants Scheme to restore the chimney and South Heapstead buildings, and to create a range of interactive interpretation. It is hugely important that Biffa Award continues to fund projects that showcase the rich history of our industrial heritage, keeping it alive and providing future generations the opportunity to explore and learn about these vital links to the past. We can’t wait to see this exciting project when it is completed in early 2024.”