'Absolutely thrilled' - Events venue based in former church near Boston wins industry award
An events venue near Boston – one based in a former church, created over a period of more than a decade after villagers rallied to bring the medieval building back into use – has been honoured in an industry awards scheme.
The Beonna at All Saints, in Benington, was named winner in the Arts, Heritage and Culture category at Destination Lincolnshire’s Tourism Excellence Awards for 2024-25.
The event – held last Friday (February 28) at the Lincolnshire Showground – aimed to, in the words of organisers, ‘celebrate the best of Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland’s £2.6 billion visitor economy’.
The award follows a remarkable tale of transformation at The Beonna at All Saints, also known as simply The Beonna.
The venue opened in 2019 following a 12-year, multi-million pound project to restore, renovate and repurpose the Grade I building – a former church.
All Saints Benington – as it was known during its time as a place of worship – held its last service in 2001, finding that dwindling congregation numbers could not sustain the 800-year-old building. The Church of England would go on to declare it closed in 2003.
In 2007, villagers set up the Benington Community Heritage Trust (BCHT) to bring the boarded-up building back into use.
Manda Crowther, one of the trustees, said: “At that stage, we had no clue as to what All Saints would end up being or in fact how we would achieve it. Once we had reached out and found that there was some help out there and took advice from them, it soon became apparent that even though our hopes were high, the enormity of the task ahead was going to be a mammoth challenge.
“Could we even achieve that in such a small community was a question on everyone’s lips.”
The trust would go on to secure about £2.3 million for the project, with contributions from the likes of National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Architectural Heritage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, and Boston’s own Medlock Charitable Trust.
With advice from Historic England and the Churches Conservation Trust, a sympathetic transformation took place – one that preserved the building’s historic character, while introducing modern elements.
In the spring of 2019, the building was reborn as The Beonna at All Saints – the re-opening date, appropriately enough, was Easter Sunday.
Manda said: “Some of that was down to fortunate timing and choosing a period when the weather was better, and we could expect to have people turn out to visit over a Bank Holiday Weekend, however, the significance of the Easter theme wasn’t lost on us!”
Today, the venue runs a vast array of events, with room for up to 150 people.
Asked how it feels to see the venue back in use, Manda spoke of ‘a great sense of pride and achievement’.
“To think back to the early days and realise that we actually managed to get to this stage is amazing,” she continued. “Everyone that enters the building for the first time cannot believe what a wonderful venue it is and the satisfaction of that feeling never subsides.”
Asked what advice she would give to other communities interested in following the same path as Benington, she said: “My advice would be to start the process as early as you identify you need help and reach out to as many funders/advice partners as you possibly can. There is a whole host of help out there if only you know where to look for it. Be prepared for a very long and challenging road ahead, but always have in the back of your mind, why you started in the first place. This will help you ride the bumps and knockbacks you get along the way (there are certainly a few of those).
“From the outset, it can seem like an insurmountable mountain to climb, so try to break the process down into manageable segments. That way each milestone crossed feels like an achievement and gives you the impetus to complete the next challenge.”
Returning to last week’s award, Manda said the venue was ‘absolutely thrilled’ with the recognition.
She said: “Congratulations and a huge ‘thank you’ must go to our amazing team – front of house, back of house, the volunteers who help with their time and experience, and our trustees. Together, their hard work in 2024 has made this all possible. It really has been a huge team effort.
“And a big thank you to every single person who comes to our events – be it live music nights, choir concerts, community events, our café, workshops or craft fairs. Please keep supporting this amazingly unique and historic venue – we are so lucky and proud to have it in our area.”
The awards were attended by representatives from the 79 shortlisted businesses.
Charlotte Goy, chief executive of Destination Lincolnshire, said: “The Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards celebrated every aspect of the visitor economy that we are lucky to have here in our thriving region.
“An apt evening to champion all of the innovation, passion, dedication, resilience, and tenacity that we have seen from Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland businesses over the past few years, it was an absolute joy to meet all the finalists and see 2025’s winners named.”
For more information on The Beonna at All Saints, in Benington, and its 800-year history, visit its website at https://thebeonna.co.uk/