Spalding's Project St Thomas is helped by University of Lincoln International Business School

A project to turn a former chapel into a community venue is set to harness the help of a university in its next step.

Project St Thomas hopes to see the chapel, on St Thomas’ Road in Spalding, transformed into a community venue - and now the University of Lincoln is on board to help.

As part of the university’s Productivity Programme Voucher Scheme, the project has been awarded 16 days of academic support.

Anthony Grunwell, chairman of the committee, said: “We are really thrilled and excited to be working with the University of Lincoln International Business School.

“Their expertise and experience is invaluable in helping the team at Project St Thomas to take the next steps towards delivering the services and activities that local people have told us they need during the Community Consultation.

“And this is all thanks to the University of Lincoln’s Productivity Programme Voucher Scheme.”

The project will work with staff from thebusiness school to explore the feasibility of potential activities that were identified through the extensive community consultation carried out by Sortified in October 2022.

This will include working in partnership with the committee to measure the proposed activities suggested by people who engaged in the community consultation against an evaluative framework to agree a shortlist of activities for an in-depth feasibility study, the production of a feasibility report with recommendations on which of the proposed activities could be delivered effectively.

Whatever the outcome, it will all be in line with the need to preserve the historic fabric of the former Methodist chapel, as advised by PDG Architects Ltd.