A £1MILLION lottery bid to revamp Chepstow Drill Hall has been unsuccessful, it has been announced.

The Big Lottery Fund has announced the winning projects today.

If it had proceeded, the funding would have allowed the Drill Hall to expand its programme of activities, securing the future of the venue for generations to come.

The bid fell under the Big Lottery’s ‘Community Asset Transfer 2’ programme.

The programme provides grant funding to enable the transfer of ownership of buildings like the Drill Hall to a charitable trust that is run on behalf of the community.

The Drill Hall bid, submitted by The Drill Hall, Chepstow Charitable Incorporated Organisation (the CIO), was prepared largely by volunteers.

It included a detailed business plan and comprehensive blueprints for the development of the building and upgrade of its infrastructure. 

The Drill Hall bid progressed to the second stage of the funding process in February 2017, and the final bid was submitted in September 2017.

It was then scrutinised by a panel of professional assessors employed by the Big Lottery Fund, and recommended for funding to the final selection panel.

However, it was one bid in a strong field of nine, of which only five could be funded.

Chairman of The Drill Hall CIO, Ned Heywood, said: “This felt like a once in a generation opportunity to secure the future of the Drill Hall for Chepstow and its communities.

"Naturally, we are all hugely disappointed, particularly as we understand that the panel liked the bid and were complimentary about it.

"This is the moment to thank all of the Drill Hall volunteers for their commitment. Not just those directly involved in creating this bid, but also those who ensure that the hall operates a full programme of activities week in, week out.”