Plans to bring back a reinvented Morecambe Illuminations have received a cash boost.
Morecambe Sparkle CIC, the new company behind plans for a winter lights display in the town, has received an in-principle grant and match funding totalling £83,500.
This consists of a £75,150 grant from Lancashire County Council and match funding of £8,350 from Morecambe Business Improvement District (BID).
Morecambe Sparkle wants to bring an ambitious programme of lights, events and experiences to Morecambe every winter.
"Morecambe Sparkle has the potential to reinvent winter illuminations in a way that would be unique to the town, and bring new visitors and investment along with opportunities for residents and businesses for decades to come," said County Cllr Aidy Riggott, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for economic development and growth.
The money will pay for the development of Morecambe Sparkle’s initial plans and a feasibility study carried out by independent consultants.
The study will take two to three months to complete.
A spokesperson for Morecambe Sparkle CIC said they will be able to use the information to bid for cash to make the project happen and that Morecambe Town Council and Morecambe BID had made further funding commitments to help deliver the project, both subject to the outcome of the study.
'Morecambe Sparkle' is the name used by Morecambe BID for its Morecambe Christmas lights programme over the last five years.
Significant buildings in Morecambe have been lit up over the festive period, and last year there was a striking lights display along the Promenade.
Morecambe Sparkle CIC is run by six directors - Anne Holloway from Edgelands Gallery on Yorkshire Street in Morecambe, Bina Gadani from Bare Pharmacy, Jason Slater from Treasure Island and Bay Business Hub, Rod Taylor, co-chairman of Morecambe FC and owner of the Morecambe Hotel, tourism consultant Siân Johnson from the Venus & Cupid Arts Trust, and Stephen Wright from Wright and Lord Solicitors.
A Morecambe Sparkle CIC spokesperson said: "Morecambe Sparkle CIC has already received pledges of more than £120,000 to deliver the scheme depending on the outcome of the feasibility study, and will be running a continuous fundraising programme to build up the Sparkle programme for a long-term future.
"This project includes funding from Lancashire County Council's £12.8m Economic Recovery Growth Fund, which supports projects to help local economies to bounce back from the impacts of Covid-19. The aim is to kickstart the development of transformational schemes that will make a major economic recovery contribution and create jobs in parts of Lancashire which have been hardest hit, stimulating growth and unlocking further investment."
The initial bid was encouraged by the County Councillor for Morecambe South, Charlie Edwards, when the fund was first launched in 2020.
Councillor Tricia Heath from Lancaster City Council, cabinet member for economic recovery, said: “The city council is keen to see a strengthening of Morecambe’s appeal as an all-year-round resort.
“We are pleased to see members of our local community in Morecambe come forward to form this new start-up, Morecambe Sparkle CIC and we will support it during this initial phase by acting as the new company’s accountable body.”
The Morecambe Illuminations were a major attraction in the town between 1949 and 1996.
The annual switchon, conducted by a celebrity, was a huge crowd-puller in Morecambe.
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