Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to our newsletters to get our latest updates, events and exhibitions sent straight to your inbox.
Pontefract Castle wins national Seeds of Change award - Wakefield Museums and Castles
Pontefract Castle wins national Seeds of Change award
Friday, September 18, 2026We're thrilled to say that Pontefract Castle has won the national Seeds of Change award. We've been awarded £10,000 from the Association of Cultural Enterprises. The money will support our innovative project, From Grounds to Goods.
The project will transform used coffee grounds from The Keep Café into sustainable retail goods. We'll work with a local artist to test and develop a range of unique eco-friendly products inspired by the castle's heritage.
The Keep Café at Pontefract Castle
The idea first came from a member of the Pontefract Castle team, who was experimenting with ways to reuse old coffee grounds. They created seed 'cannonballs', mixing the coffee grounds with wildflower seeds.
We'll now experiment with new products, improve packaging and branding, and train our staff and volunteers.
We hope to share what we learn with the public too. We plan to host artist-led workshops where participants can make their own coffee-ground products!
Stay tuned to over the next year to see what we produce!
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.