About us
Celebrating 10 years of community ownership
Following a successful fundraising campaign and grant support raising £325,000 during 2013 and 2014, Moor Pool Heritage Trust purchased the Moor Pool community assets on 21st December 2014, conserving them for the benefit of local residents and the wider public.
A decade on, the two Halls, the Estate Office, the Moor Pool, two tennis courts, a bowling green, various green spaces, allotments and garages are now extensively used by both Moor Pool residents and non-residents.
Throughout 2025, we will be celebrating this milestone, sharing challenges we’ve met along the way and our highlights from the last 10 years.
How it started
Moor Pool is a special place. English Heritage called it a “hidden gem” and an exceptional surviving example of the Arts & Crafts garden suburb movement. However, in 2011 the community spaces around the Estate were under threat of being sold for redevelopment, which would have been catastrophic for the community and the character of the Moor Pool conservation area.
Desperate to save these community assets, Moor Pool Heritage Trust was formed as a registered charity. Trustees, along with an enthusiastic group of local volunteers, applied for funding grants and embarked on an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise the £325,000 required to purchase the two Halls and other community spaces. After a huge effort from everyone involved and the support of the local community, the target was realised and MPHT were able to take ownership on 21st December 2014.
How it's going
Since taking ownership of the community assets in 2014, Moor Pool Heritage Trust has worked tirelessly to conserve the heritage of the Moor Pool Estate, ensuring that the community are at the heart of everything we do. Over £917,000 has been raised through donations, fundraising events and grants since the charity was formed in 2012.
Several large projects have been completed over the last 10 years, including: the transformation of the former Builder’s Yard into the Carless Ecology Centre; the refurbishment of the kitchens in both the Main and Lower Halls; and the development of a community pocket park, the Nettlefold Garden.
The thing that makes Moor Pool so special is it’s wonderful community spirit. Moor Pool clubs, including the Circle Tennis Club, Moor Pool Tennis Club, Fishing Club, Bowls Club, Skittles Club, Snooker Club and Rifle Club, continue to thrive in our community spaces. The two Halls are in constant use by our regular groups and private events. And the local community comes together for special events throughout the year.
John Sutton Nettlefold, founder of Moor Pool, believed that if people live, socialise, play and work together, then a stronger sense of community develops. It was true of Moor Pool in 1912 and is still true to this day.
Our next big fundraising target
Our current major project is the refurbishment of the Main Hall lobby and washrooms, incorporating better wheelchair access and improved facilities, to the benefit of everyone who uses the hall.
This project has been pending for a while – first COVID got in the way, then it took some time to get planning permission approved, then building costs spiralled and, being a small group of Trustees and staff, there is only so much we can do. So we apologise if you’re fed up of hearing us talking about toilets! However, we would love to push on with this project in our 10th anniversary year.
Phase one of this project has already been completed with the installation of a permanent access ramp at the side of the hall. But we need your help to raise the £100,000 still needed to complete this project. Not only would your donation help us to refurbish the lobby and washrooms, but it would also take our lifetime fundraising total to over £1million, which would be an incredible end to our first decade!
Our plans for the next 10 years
We can’t wait to share our plans for the next decade very soon!
Volunteers are an essential part of the community and make Moor Pool the special place it is. Going into our next decade, we need even more enthusiastic volunteers to realise our plans. We would especially love to welcome young volunteers to help us shape the future of Moor Pool.
