What We Do
In 2013, the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) awarded its first-ever Project Viability Grant to Portadown 2000 to enable the organisation to undertake an options appraisal for the Thomas Street Church and adjacent manse in Portadown. As a result of this initial support, the organisation was subsequently able to secure acquisition funding from the Department for Communities (DfC) to purchase the buildings.
Now, the AHF is pleased to announce that it has awarded a new Project Viability Grant to Portadown 2000 to help test ideas to establish a childcare facility within the Thomas Street Church. This was one of 11 awards made at the AHF’s March grants meeting, where projects across the UK were awarded funding totalling £155,370.
Built in the Gothic style in 1832, the Old Methodist Church on Thomas Street is located in the centre of Portadown. Its ecclesiastical function ceased in 1860 when a newer, grander building was built some 100 yards away. The basement once housed a large schoolroom and smaller meeting rooms, while the three-storey manse to the left was home to the superintendent minister. The church, along with the manse, was listed at Grade B1 in 1981. It was later vacated in the mid-1980s when Thornton Wholesale Food Distributors left the building. Presently listed on the Heritage at Risk register, the former church is in poor condition and is inaccessible to the public.
Portadown 2000 was established to promote social cohesion, social integration, community development, education and tourism in Portadown. The charity runs Millenium Court, a leading community venue that connects people, communities and businesses through a range of arts, creative and wellbeing activities. The initiatives at Millenium Court are focused on revitalising the Portadown town centre and surrounding areas.
Building on this venture, Portadown 2000 now proposes to repurpose the Thomas Street Church as a childcare facility. This would offer vital support to families, enabling parents to balance work and childcare responsibilities, while also nurturing creativity and early learning in children. Not only would this project benefit residents, families, and children, but it would also support local businesses and the wider community - it has the potential to increase activity and engagement in the town centre and to act as a catalyst for further investment in the area, all helping to strengthen social cohesion and community pride.
The AHF grant for this project has been awarded through the Harnessing Heritage programme, made possible by DfC and the Garfield Weston Foundation. It will enable Portadown 2000 to carry out a viability study, which will include a market analysis of childcare needs and a condition survey with estimated costs.
