Bury Society first to support the Abbey Heritage Project

Our January Bury Free Press article is about our support for Heritage in the town and particularly the Abbey Of St Edmund which is so important in many ways.

It was announced last week that The Bury St Edmunds Society has awarded a grant of £10,000 to the ambitious Abbey of St Edmund heritage project, making it the first organisation in the town to provide financial support.

Back in 2016, the Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership was launched to bring together more than 20 partners, led by St Edmundsbury Cathedral and West Suffolk Council, to conserve the historic fabric and explain the heritage of the Abbey to local people and visitors. The Bury Society’s interest in the historic fabric of the town meant that it was closely involved in this partnership from the outset.

The Bury Society shared the aims of caring for the whole Abbey area and explaining its heritage to all. It was part of the Abbey 1000 Group which ran an exciting programme of events for the Millennium Celebrations of the foundation of the Abbey in 1020.

Bury Society members were closely involved with the new English Heritage Interpretation Panels around the Abbey. The Society has plans for more interpretation panels and these are under discussion.

Only last week, Bury Society Chairman Martyn Taylor helped launch the description panels on the ‘Then and Now Legacy Murals’ behind the Apex. These large murals were installed in November 2022, but now they have descriptions and other information to help interpret them. They emphasise how the past has helped shape our present.

Martyn Taylor, chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Society, explained that a decision had been made to use the Dr Rae Fund to make this statement grant to the Abbey of St Edmund project as it clearly complied with the basic wishes of her bequest to protect and enhance the heritage of the town.

He said, “The Society’s aim is to ensure that as the town grows, it remains a beautiful place in which to live, work or visit; embracing positive changes which enhance the town whilst ensuring a balance with its precious heritage. We hope that, in making this early statement of support for this vital project, we will encourage other local organisations and businesses to do the same.’

As a corporate patron, The Bury Society will now be given insights into the project development and opportunities to meet with and talk to the key people – the Project Board and the consultants. This means that the Society can continue to ensure that this major National Heritage Lottery Funded project develops in the best way for all of Bury St Edmunds to benefit.

The Bury Society has once again proved its commitment to the heritage that gave our town its name. On behalf of local residents, it makes large organisations aware of our local views on the unique heritage of our town. At the same time this work stimulates tourism and economic growth. If you want to have more of a say in what happens with heritage in our town, you should consider joining us.

For details of the society and membership, see our website www.burysociety.com
For details of the Abbey of St Edmund see www.abbeyofstedmund.org.uk