St Peter's, Sudbury

St Peter's Church, Sudbury, Suffolk

St Peter’s sits at the heart of Sudbury, Suffolk, overlooking the town’s bustling market place. It currently hosts a series of music concerts, live performances and community events run by the Friends of St Peter’s, with regular pop-up cafes. It is the only venue in Sudbury where large events can be held. But the building is in need of urgent repairs and new facilities to make it sustainable for the future. St Peter’s also needs investment in a more diverse programme of activity to attract a wider range of local audiences and visitors.

In March 2018 we were delighted to secure initial project support from the Heritage Fund (HF), made possible by money raised from National Lottery players. The HF development grant will enable an expanded community and cultural activity programme to be held at St. Peter’s and the progression of designs to transform this much-loved local landmark. 

The £2.5m regeneration will deliver the following improvements:

•        A contemporary internal new build at the West end providing an improved draft lobby, a mezzanine floor, meeting and events area

•        The provision of toilets

•        An upgrade to the kitchen facilities

•        The opening of the south chancel

•        Improved gardens around the church

•        A new roof and other upgrades to the fabric of the building

Alongside these physical changes to the building, St Peter’s will also offer a wider programme of heritage and cultural activities. These are designed to appeal to residents of Sudbury and neighbouring areas, as well as to visitors to this lively market town.


St Peter's Project, Sudbury, Suffolk

External Evaluation Brief Capital and Operational Phase

The Churches Conservation Trust are seeking to appoint a qualified and experienced evaluator to evaluate both the delivery (development and construction, due for completion early summer 2023) and operational phase (until the project end date in October 2025) and to work with the St Peter’s Project Operations Manager to establish an evaluation framework following the end of our NLHF (National Lottery Heritage Fund) funded period of operation.

Evaluating our work demonstrates the difference our projects make, and lets us know what we do well, what we can improve on and the impact we make for our communities, our stakeholders and the nation's heritage. This evaluation should focus on what difference the project has made, how that difference has been made, and how things could be improved in future.

St Peter’s Project is a £2.7m conservation and regeneration project at St Peter’s church in Sudbury, delivered by the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) and generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as numerous other Trusts and Foundations and private donors. The vision of this innovative project was to repair and regenerate St Peter’s as a cultural and community centre for the town, embedding it further into the heart of Sudbury for generations to come.

Proposals should be no longer than 6 pages and submitted by email to Amanda Gerry, St Peter’s, Sudbury Project Director. Email: [email protected] by 5pm on Wednesday 5th April 2023.

External Evaluation Brief - Capital and Operational Phase