Inayat Omarji wins Heritage Angel Award for rescue of All Souls Bolton
Inayat Omarji, the Chair of the Churches Conservation Trust’s All Souls Bolton project, has been awarded the English Heritage Angel Award for ‘Best Rescue of Any Other Type of Historic Building or Site’.
The awards, organised by English Heritage, recognise people who have saved historic buildings and places. Inayat’s award recognises his work on the decade-long £4.9 million scheme in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a new community building in the previously unused church.
In a ceremony at the Palace Theatre in London on 3rd November, Inayat received the award from Baron Andrew Lloyd Webber and historian and broadcaster Bettany Hughes. All Souls Bolton opens to the public on 6th December.
Inayat said:
“I am delighted to have won this award, especially with building work at All Souls Bolton now in its final weeks. The prize is not just for me, but is recognition of the work that everyone has put into the All Souls Bolton project. It’s amazing to think how far we have come over the past ten years, and being official Heritage Angels will make the public opening of the completed building on 6th December even more exciting.”
Crispin Truman, Chief Executive of the Churches Conservation Trust, said:
""We recognise the valuable work of Inayat in turning All Souls Bolton from a neglected urban church into a community building which will be of benefit to all. Over the past ten years, Inayat has volunteered over 5,000 hours to help make the project a reality, and it is thanks to his enthusiasm and energy that it will be completed in the next few weeks. He is an inspiration to us all.
""Inayat is a visionary who has brought new perspectives to this major heritage project and helped ensure that the local community remains engaged with it. When times have were tough and the future for All Souls looked bleak, Inayat refused to take no for an answer, and this tenacity was vital to the project’s success. He is a genuine Heritage Angel.”