Rochford Town Team has received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, it was announced today. This exciting project, “Rochford Heritage Trail - discovering the history on our doorstep”, led by the Rochford Town Team, has been given £10,000 to provide a Rochford Heritage Trail in different formats to encourage all community sectors and visitors to discover and learn more about Rochford’s rich and colourful heritage. It is hoped that this will encourage more people to understand and explore the extensive heritage in the area, thereby developing a greater sense of belonging, pride and cohesion in the community.
Rochford Town Team is keen to develop ways in which people can more easily find out about the history in this area. Rochford is a medieval market town recorded in the Domesday Book and has retained many original features, complemented by traditional Essex weatherboard buildings alongside Medieval and Georgian architecture. The aim of the “Rochford Heritage Trail - discovering the history on our doorstep” will be made available in different formats – Trail Brochure, Guided Tours, Mobile App and Website Pages. Our aim is to make the Rochford Heritage Trail accessible to all and appeal to all ages. We hope to engage with local schools, youth groups, historians, community groups and photographers in order to ensure the appropriate focus of the trail material, as well as encouraging interest and developing knowledge of local heritage.
Commenting on the award, Geoff Durham, chair of Rochford Town Team, said: “It’s great news that we have been awarded this grant and we can’t wait to get started. There are so many interesting aspects to Rochford and we are all really excited about developing different ways in which people can discover and share our heritage and history.”
Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we’re delighted to support the creation of a heritage trail for Rochford which will allow people of all ages to explore and celebrate the heritage, architecture and stories of their community.”
Arthur L Williams, Chairman of Rochford Parish Council, said: “Rochford Parish Council are very pleased and excited with this National lottery funding grant. We hope that we will now be able to involve many more people with the history of Rochford. I would like to thank all that have been involved with this bid for their very hard work.”
Cllr George Ioannou, Rochford District Council’s Portfolio holder for Enterprise, said: "We are delighted to support the Rochford Town Team and I would like to congratulate them on successfully obtaining £10,000 of funding, which will be used to promote our rich and varied history. I hope that this encourages visitors to come and see the many hidden treasures that Rochford has to offer; including our prized 'Old House', part of which dates back to 1270 and is one of the oldest buildings in Essex."
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