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Chedham's Yard wins Restoration Village
Chedham's Yard, Wellesbourne, in Warwickshire, was last night (Sunday 17 September) voted winner of this year's Restoration Village at a nail-biting live final held at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum.
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Griff Rhys Jones announced the long-awaited result of the public vote after eight weeks of programmes and months of local campaigning as 21 rural at risk buildings were whittled down to eight for the final.
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Watts Gallery at Compton in Surrey came second and Dennis Head Old Beacon, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, third.
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Over the course of the series, the phone lines raised 拢456,329-63p for registered charity The Restoration Fund to help restore the building, which wins the Final and is ratified by the Trustees of the Fund.
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Together with support pledged by the Heritage Lottery Fund this represents a pot of more 拢2.35m. However as Chedham's Yard requires approximately 拢1m, The Restoration Fund will in the future allocate cash to some of the other buildings featured.
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Elaine Hughes, Project Manager for Chedham's Yard, said: "We are all still a bit up in the ether. It feels very surreal. We were surprised to win against some amazing buildings but also very thrilled."
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Chedham's Yard dates from the early 19th century and the site includes a blacksmith's forge, a wheelwright's workshop and a drying shed.
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Of less architectural distinction than some of the featured buildings, its interest lies in its unique time capsule state of preservation.
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When Bill Chedham - the seventh generation to own the site - downed tools in the Seventies he left behind all the accumulated contents, which have been catalogued by Oxford Archaeology.
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Local people are eager to see the near-derelict buildings restored and the site returned to use, preferably as an active heritage centre, with a working forge, artefact exhibits, interactive displays and educational areas.
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Andrea Miller, Executive Producer of Restoration Village for 大象传媒 Scotland, said: "This has been a fantastic event and a great series with a terrific result, but every building featured is a winner.
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"Restoration seemed to awaken the nation to the need to save precious buildings, but Restoration Village seems to have gone further and touched a nerve about preserving the countryside and a way of life.
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"People - town dwellers and country people alike - seemed to respond to the communities and their plans for the buildings as much as to the buildings themselves."
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The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is allocating 拢1.9million to Restoration Village this year, bringing the total support for Restoration projects to more than 拢40million.
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Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of the HLF, commented: "Restoration Village has yet again brilliantly demonstrated just how passionate people are about looking after their heritage.
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"Our congratulations go to Chedham's Yard and to those other finalists who are set to benefit from Heritage Lottery Fund support to help them progress with their plans too."
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Anne Jenkins, HLF West Midlands Regional Manager, commented: "Chedham's Yard is a wonderful example of a building that touched people's hearts specifically because it isn't grand or stately, but represents how heritage that remembers everyday lives is just as important to people."
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Further information on Restoration Village, the buildings and previous series is available at bbc.co.uk/restoration.
For further information on the Heritage Lottery Fund see www.hlf.org.uk.
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Out of the 拢1.9m set aside, 拢50,000 will be made available to each finalist that is eligible for an HLF Project Planning Grant.
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The rest will go to the winning building - subject to approval by registered charity The Restoration Fund - along with monies raised by viewer votes.
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Restoration Village is produced by Cheetah Television (part of Endemol UK).
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If you have password access, pictures of the buildings featured in Restoration Village can be obtained via the 大象传媒 Picture Publicity website.
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Notes to Editors
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The eight buildings that featured in the Restoration Village final were:
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Watts Gallery
Newlyn Trinity Methodist Chapel
Chedham's Yard
Dennis Head Old Beacon
Pen Yr Orsedd Workshops
Cushendun Old Church
Howsham Mill
East Church, Cromarty 听
HM
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