30th September 2019 
 

Update from Cath Storey (Project Manager Fundraising & Communications) about the Vineyard House project – planning, phasing, the funding team and your support. 

The project team have regrouped after the summer break and we have lots of news to share with you. As David mentioned in his blog on the 24th, Sam and I presented to the trustees last week and mapped out progress from the last year or so and walked through key decisions that have been made and the next steps for the project. The challenge is a big one as David wrote, but both Sam and I feel very privileged to be working on shaping and developing how Vineyard House stands as a resource for ministry for decades to come. Here are also what three of the trustees have said following the recent meeting;

“As the Trustee who oversaw the purchase of St Michaels Hall, getting to a position where we could use the building as soon as possible was really important to me. I’m really excited to see the great progress made so far; the plans for refurbishment look great and will provide fantastic spaces from which we can run lots of different activities, all with the aim of blessing Headingley and extending God’s Kingdom to the local community and beyond.” Steve Nixon

“I’m excited by the way Vineyard House will provide focus and support to grow our compassion and reach out work in Headingley. As Chair of Trustees I’m encouraged by the energy and dynamism of the team and impressed with how far we have come in developing the plans. It is humbling to be part of such an exciting project which will have such a positive impact both inside and outside the Church.” Mike Byde
 

"As trustee for people, I am delighted with the progress made especially by Sam and Cath utilising their and others knowledge to get us to this stage in the programme/project. It is great as a trustee to know that the approach is being developed by experts that have a track record of delivering projects of this size and complexity. The plans we have submitted seek to preserve the heritage of the building whilst making it fit for purpose to meet the needs of Headingley. As plans are submitted it is clear to me how much of an incredible blessing this building will be as we seek to see God's Kingdom come in Headingley."  Tim Steere


Planning

Sam and Stephen from Calls Architecture have done a brilliant job in getting the project to a formal planning application stage; revising concepts and drawings, researching the history of the former Parochial Institute in terms of location, context, how the building has been modified over the years, existing fabric and condition, design, access and heritage impact assessments are all contents of a Design and Access Statement document which forms the planning application. 

A Statement of Community Involvement has also been submitted. We welcome prayers for the planning process as it goes through the various departments of Leeds City Council, for positive discussions on any points raised and ultimately for a positive outcome. We hope to be granted planning towards the end of this year. 

Here are some inspiring artists’ impressions that Stephen has produced as part of the concept and design stage. 


Phasing

As well as getting the project to a point where we can apply for planning, employing a quantity surveyor has meant we have gained a better understanding of costs. That said, there is more work to do on costs for the project as we look to do a value engineering exercise (reducing costs while maintaining or improving quality requirements). 

Furthermore, over the summer months, we were blessed with advice and wisdom from a third-party consultant on both the building and funding process side. As the project is a bigger challenge than ever imagined, the experience and council from FutureKraft has been most welcome and has led to the project team and trustees agreeing on project phasing. 

What does that mean? It means breaking down the Vineyard House project into specific refurbishment milestones and once each phase is reached, progressing onto the next one. Some phases can and might be divided into sub-phases. It’s a great way of getting started on the project in bite-sized chunks as it were, giving us a realistic chance of delivering and considering cost vs benefits and the resources we have. 

Phase 1 can be done whilst still utilising the current office space and will be the redevelopment of the Annexe Space. Sam or I can share more details about the project phasing in future blogs. Of course, please feel free to email Sam if you would like more specific information. 



Funding and the funding team

The process to unlock funding on a capital appeal of this size involves lots of questions and many stages. We have the answers to many of these questions, but there are some we are still working on. We have been encouraged recently with a grant from the Lottery Awards for All fund which will help us move forward and strengthen our Case for Support. This is our compelling argument as to why anyone should support the Vineyard House Capital Appeal - it’s a big picture document that we take to market as it were to secure funding. 

The funding landscape is competitive, and competition is regional. We must demonstrate why Leeds Vineyard are best placed to be bringing the former St. Michael’s Hall back to life, how we are going to meet funder requirements, the research or consultation that has informed our plans, how the project will improve people’s lives and how we will measure the impact and expected outcomes. 

The heritage and story of the building’s impact in the community since Victorian times is a strong narrative. The grant we have been awarded will address some of the gaps we have in information to date and appraise options for the strategic development of Vineyard House ensuring the projects long term economic viability. It’s good news that we have secured funds to widen the funding team and I’m looking forward to working with FutureKraft on the following;  
 

• Reviewing community consultation work done to date
• Following up community consultation with further research and questionnaires 
• Discovering the history of Vineyard House to build the legacy 
• Producing videos to engage people with the history and the vision 
• Clarifying messages for the marketing strategy 
• Aligning vision to funders’ criteria 
• Developing clear impact measures 
• Developing the business plan which underpins the funding strategy  

We are delighted to have input from Liz Harden, supporting the funding team and funding process - her work engaging and building relationships in the community feeds directly into the business plan. There’s much to do and we have various timescales on all the above, culminating in a community wide event in the Spring of next year. 



How can you support the project at this stage? 

Prayers for the project team as we work through the various actions, each leading to further stages is most welcome and there will be many opportunities to assist with clearing, painting, general maintenance in Vineyard House itself. I know some of the Mancraft team had fun on Tuesday last week moving furniture into the basement and many from the church are doing all they can to help when asked. We will be needing a team from the church to carry out an up to date door-to-door survey next month, so look out for that and please sign up if you can.

If you would like to contact Sam or me about anything relating to the Vineyard House Project, please do email us via the office.
 

Cath Storey