Apsley Paper Trail
Hertfordshire based charity Apsley Paper Trail has successfully transformed disused industrial buildings and a historic paper manufacturing site into a forward looking regional hub for education, innovation, enterprise, recycling and tourism. This was recognised when The Paper Trail won the regional competition and second place in the national awards for Enterprising Britain 2007.
During 2008, with the help of a £1 million Lottery grant, the charity added substantial, state of the art visitor facilities to its historic Frogmore Paper Mill. The capacity for students and visitors to experience a commercially operated working industrial paper mill and letterpress printing company increased to 50,000 visitors a year - a very rare treat for such a large audience.
The need for funding
Despite recent success, the prospect for 2009 is that Apsley Paper Trail will be forced to close unless emergency funding can be quickly secured. Immediate funding has become necessary to replace income expected from the sale of undeveloped land, currently thwarted by the ‘credit crunch’ and collapse in the property market.
The end of the charity would mean the loss of a unique national, indeed world, heritage site - the birthplace of mass produced paper which heralded the first means of universal communication, a cornerstone of modern civilisation. It would stop dead in its tracks an innovative education and recycling programme and unique visitor attraction, as well as Paper Futures, a fledgling innovations incubator that has already demonstrated great promise in helping to advance new low carbon technologies and businesses.
To pledge your support for a Bond for Apsley Paper Trail, download the pledge document (pdf 1.9MB)