CONSERVATIONISTS determined to revive a derelict 18th century chapel in the middle of Malmesbury have received pledges for £75,000 – around half enough to buy the 245 year-old Grade II listed building.

But after failing to win cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the first phase of the project to buy and restore the town’s Moravian Church, The Friends of Athelstan Museum (FOAM) are now seeking big-hearted companies to become involved.

Roger Griffin, who is joint project leader alongside Angela Sykes, said: “We’ve had an enormous amount of support from the public. We’ve received pledges for £75,000 in just a couple of months which is very generous and very encouraging.”

However, he hoped a company or companies would now come in and dig deep to boost the sum required to bring back to life an important heritage building that has been vacant and derelict for 20 years.

Mr Griffin said that FOAM’s application for lottery funds to help buy the chapel was declined for a number of reasons.

“They have far more applications for money than there was money available. Also, they are reluctant to help buy buildings accept in very exceptional circumstances.”

FOAM’s plan is now buy the boarded-up structure, which is on the market for £150,000, and then go back the Heritage Lottery Fund for a contribution to help them renovate it for use by the people of Malmesbury.

The entire project will roughly cost between £300,000-£400,000.

Built in 1770, the chapel was used for well over 200 years before the congregation left during the mid-1990s.

It was later bought by art collector Frank Faryab but remained empty and was repossessed in 2013 after he ran into financial problems.

Located across the road from the Moravian Church, the Athelstan Museum, which tells the history of Malmesbury, believe the premises will make an ideal extension for them, enabling it to stage exhibitions, meetings and other functions.

Other groups and organisations in Malmesbury would also be able to use the premises, once the structure is returned to working order.