Mansfield astronomers reach for the stars as planetarium plans begin taking shape

Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society has received £11,000 funding.

The funding, provided by Ashfield District Council, is to support Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society’s bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a Victorian underground reservoir into a visitor centre and associated planetarium.

The reservoir, built in the late 19th century, is situated on land next to Sherwood Observatory, which is on Coxmoor Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

The society operates the observatory, which houses one of the largest amateur telescopes in the UK.

Steve Wallace, project manager at Sherwood Observatory, said “We are so pleased to have received this much-needed funding from Ashfield District Council.

“This funding will support our Heritage Lottery application for our plans for the Science Discovery Centre and Planetarium at the observatory.

“The observatory is currently closed due to the pandemic, but we are continuing to hold meetings and host talks for members by video conference.

“We have recorded the talks and created a YouTube channel so the wider public can watch them as well.

“Educating the public is important to us and the funding will hopefully help us get closer to our goal of creating a unique visitor attraction in the area.”

It was announced in September 2019 that both Sutton and Kirkby were set to each receive up to £25million as part of the Towns Fund.

The initial capacity funding of £324k has been granted to put structures and a vision in place in order to move to the next stage of agreeing a deal.

Coun Matthew Relf, cabinet member for place, planning and regeneration at Ashfield District Council, said: “I am proud that the council has allocated funding to the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society (MSAS).

“The observatory is one of Ashfield’s greatest assets and MSAS has developed a great plan to turn it into a fantastic visitor and educational centre. We hope that this plan will reveal the true potential of the observatory as a fantastic tool for education, and have a positive impact on Ashfield’s local tourism.”