The Piece Hall to be given emergency grant from Historic England's coronavirus fund

The building's owners, the Piece Hall Trust, were successful in their bids for financial rescue packages from Historic England's Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund.

Around 70 heritage attractions and projects around the country have been awarded cash grants of up to £50,000. There were around 300 applications for the scheme.

The Piece Hall, which is home to independent shops, cafes, restaurants and an interactive visitor centre, was forced to close in March and cancel many of the events planned for the summer, including outdoor concerts and festivals.

Only 500 people will be allowed onto the site at once when it re-opens in early July, and cafes will be serving takeaway food and drink only.The fund has also granted assistance to Rotherham Council, who applied for funding to rescue a project to improve engagement with heritage sites in the town.

£38,174 has been given to the council's museums, arts and heritage team to focus on Keppel's Column in Thorpe Hesley, Catcliffe Cone in Catcliffe and the Waterloo Kiln in Swinton. A range of activities will be held around the historic landmarks and the money will be invested in improving the visitor experience.

The programme is due to start in June and run until December. It marks the first time in recent years that these heritage sites have had investment to bring them back into regular community use.

Coun Sarah Allen from Rotherham Council said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from Historic England as it will enable us to build a programme of engagement focusing on some of Rotherham’s much-loved heritage sites.

“I know that residents from across the borough from those living on the doorstep of our historic sites, to those in schools, youth centres, care homes and libraries will see the benefits of this project, which will also allow some of our communities who are currently the least represented in our collective heritage to be able to tell their history too.”

The project will allow residents to explore deeper connections and create new stories of Rotherham’s shared heritage and enable the council to explore new sustainable management models for these sites, from setting up Friends groups to employing heritage wardens.

A decreasing pool of available volunteers had led to a 'disconnection' between the three landmarks and those who lived near them.