14th January 2017
The Chesterfield Canal Trust has won £10,000 following an announcement by the Aviva Community Fund.
The funds awarded to the Last Cuckoo Project will be used to run an archaeological dig at Staveley. The site to be excavated is the original Bellhouse Basin on the canal. It is believed that at least one Cuckoo boat, unique to the canal, could be found.
The Trust competed with thousands of local organisations around the UK to receive funding as part of the Aviva Community Fund 2016. The nationwide initiative which launched in September called upon passionate local residents to submit a project close to their heart to be in with a chance of securing funding ranging from £1,000 to £25,000.
Each organisation had to galvanise the support of their local community to vote for their entry in six categories: health, disability and well-being; supporting the younger generation; supporting the older generation; sport in the community; environment (in association with The Mirror) and community support. Over 5 million votes were placed with over 450 projects benefitting overall. The Trust succeeded in winning over 9,000 votes from supporters.
Andy Robinson, a long time Trust member who wrote the bid said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have won this money. We will spend the next few months getting everything ready for the dig itself, which will take place in August. We intend to involve lots of members of the local community, including children. This is a chance for them to learn first had about how Staveley played a vital part right from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.”
Now that the bid has been won, the hard work is starting to make sure that everything is ready by August. Andy is appealing for old photographs, old maps, old documents, old press cuttings, artefacts etc. relating to the Lowgates area of Staveley, especially the bottom of Bellhouse Lane.
For more information or to pass on photos etc., please email cuckooboat@gmail.com.
To see Andy’s bid, click here.
A previous archaeological dig on the canal.