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Pontefract Castle announced as a finalist for Seeds of Change 2026 - Wakefield Museums and Castles
Pontefract Castle announced as a finalist for Seeds of Change 2026
Tuesday, September 08, 2026We’re happy to announce that Pontefract Castle is a finalist for the Seeds of Change 2026 award!
Seeds of Change is an annual award with a £10,000 prize fund. It supports innovative and entrepreneurial sustainable initiatives across all areas of cultural income generation.
The Castle is nominated for a project called From Grounds To Goods. This will see us transform used coffee grounds from The Keep Café into a range of sustainable retail products co-created by staff, volunteers and a local artist.
The Keep Café at Pontefract Castle
We’ve already produced two small batches of “seed cannonballs” using coffee grounds and wildflower seeds. If Pontefract Castle wins the award, we will use the prize money to improve the design and packaging, and to scale up production.
We will also explore how coffee grounds could be used to create other products, including pigments and dyes. Once we’ve refined the process, we can start hosting artist-led workshops where participants can make their own coffee-ground products!
More about Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change is an annual funding programme run by the Association for Cultural Enterprises, supporting innovative and entrepreneurial sustainability projects across the UK cultural sector. Through a £10,000 prize fund, the initiative helps museums, galleries, heritage attractions and other cultural organisations develop sustainable income streams, reduce environmental impact, and strengthen community engagement. The programme champions creative ideas that combine commercial success with positive environmental and social outcomes.
If Pontefract Castle wins the award, it will join fellow Wakefield district attraction The Art House, whose initiative From Earth to Cloth was awarded the prize in 2025.