Northumberland Roman site gets rescue package to help it through coronavirus crisis

Vindolanda Trust gets loan from Lloyds Bank to help mitigate huge loss of visitor income

One of the North East’s key Roman sites has received financial support to see it through the coronavirus lockdown.

Vindolanda, near Bardon Mill in Northumberland, is one of a handful of sites on the Roman Wall not owned by Government bodies and has lost most of its income because of the coronavirus lockdown.

The site normally welcomes up to 30,000 visitors each month and has annual revenues of £1.5m, but estimates it will generate only 30% of that this year.

The site’s owners, the Vindolanda Trust, approached Lloyds Bank for a £300,000 loan which will safeguard the immediate future of the site and its museums.

Dr Andrew Birley, CEO and director of excavations at the Trust, said: “Our income relies on people visiting us, especially tourists from abroad.

“When the outbreak began and the travel ban was imposed, we knew our cash flow would be heavily impacted. This is normally our busiest time of the year but we’ve been forced to close our doors until it’s safe to reopen.

“We estimate that there’s several hundred years left until the sites are fully explored. Thanks to Lloyds Bank, we now know that we can continue our excavation work once the lockdown is lifted and welcome back visitors to learn about this important time in our history.

“Our core team is working hard to maintain our sites and map our pathway out of this challenging situation. With this additional funding, we have the peace of mind knowing that we now have the cash flow in place to cover overheads and begin operations again quickly when restrictions begin to ease.”

Paul Watson, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank, said: “The finance secured by the Vindolanda Trust will help to see it through the unprecedented challenges in the weeks and month ahead.

"The trust works to support a historical site of global importance and protecting sites like this is essential if we want to continue learning about our history.

“This is a great example of a business working through the crisis so it can continue its great work in the heritage sector that benefits the education of people far and wide.”