Morecambe Winter Gardens £50k fundraising appeal hits target

With the closure of the building for four months and limited re-opening due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Preservation Trust with the help of the Friends of the Winter Gardens mounted a crowdfunding campaign.

Their aim was to complete the funding necessary for essential infrastructure work.

The Architectural Heritage Fund had promised to match fund any fundraising up to £25,000, and the theatre has now raised just over £25,000 itself.

Prof Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, said she was "over the moon" to reach the target, and said a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported the theatre.

She said: "We have raised £50,000 from 392 people with many more contributing locally to reach our target; we also received £21,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund to cover our running costs whilst we close and received additional money to clean our gorgeous ceiling from Historic England.

"So in total £350,000 in a year that goes totally on the building.

"Thank you every one of my friends, family, fellow sandgrown'uns, supporters old and new and my fellow trustees Richard, Steve, Martin and especially Paul.

"Also those behind the scenes, the amazing Helen our administrator, the wonderful Theo who did our business cases for grants, my sister Lorraine for her incredible raffles, Laura for the governance, Tom from Lancaster City Council for his support and all the friends and the volunteers in the restoration team and everyone who has bought a toastie, gone on a tour, donated equipment both publicly and anonymously - thank you for believing in us, this is just the start."

This week a cherry picker was installed inside the building, and every panel in the ceiling of the Grade 2* listed building will be inspected by specialists before being cleaned.

This process is expected to take two weeks, before work starts on installing a new heating system on November 1.

Plasterwork repairs will also take place as part of the refurbishment of the theatre.