A crowdfunding page has raised over £43k to enable Mid-Norfolk conference centre Letton Hall to continue serving the Christian community after lockdown.
Letton Hall is a grade 2 listed building located in mid-Norfolk offering retreats to church groups of up to 130 people at a time. The accommodation at the beautiful Georgian building, designed by architect Sir John Soane, comprises shared kitchen facilities, communal areas and shared bathrooms, which cannot be safely adapted to adhere to social distancing restrictions or abide by rules on social gatherings.
Last month, Network Norfolk reported on the difficult position Letton hall was in, making the majority of staff redundant as the furlough scheme ended. The team at Letton Hall had pursued all avenues to save the business and there was a real possibility that Letton Hall could close permanently early next year if the situation didn’t improve.
A crowdfunding page on was set up JustGiving by Matt Wild, Director of CROPS, a Christian organisation that has taken many parties to Letton Hall over the years. The page has raised £33k in under a month, plus financial gifts given directly to the centre. Matt said, “Letton Hall in Norfolk is a place that means so much to me. I’ve had such a connection with this place over the years, there’s no place I would rather bring people to meet with God. We initially set a target of £25,000. In two weeks we’ve been overwhelmed by people’s response. What has been donated really will help, but Letton are not ‘out of the woods’ financially, even with all we have raised. Letton Hall have the challenge of rebuilding their bookings in 2021.”
Assistant manager Tim Blanche said, “The money we have raised, which now in total is at £43,000 between the JustGiving page and other gifts has been fantastic! It has meant we’ve been able to commit to keeping three more of our staff employed and this will make the process of opening again much easier! With all that is raised we will be able to keep the Hall running until the Spring and still have money to get everything running again at that point, presuming that conditions allow. For the staff and the trustees the support of so many people has been immensely encouraging at a time when it is easy to feel isolated. To know how much Letton has been used by God, and how special it has been to people gives us both great joy and encouragement that it will continue to be of use in the future.”
Letton Hall was purchased by Peter Carroll in the 1970s for use as a Christian conference centre. Over the years hundreds of people have come to faith, laughed, cried and built community as they have attended retreats, youth events and Christian conferences.
Some of the comments from the fundraising page:
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Lots of great memories of what became a second home for half terms! -
Our family has benefitted greatly over the years from Letton Hall We want to see it saved from closure -
Letton has been in our hearts and prayers recently.Full of fond memories and hope we will be able to come next summer! -
Many memories of Letton from the time the Carroll family purchased it in ’79 through the 80s and early 90s – we met each other at Letton
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Helen Baldry, 23/11/2020
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