Winter Gardens boss gives update on foyer restoration crowdfunder

Monday, 17 July 2023 15:01

The damaged floor of the Winter Gardens foyer

A crowdfunding campaign to restore the iconic mosaic floor inside Morecambe’s Winter Gardens is a third of the way to its target.

Last month, the Trustees of the building launched a fundraising campaign to raise £45,000 to restore the foyer’s tiles, ceramic floor and features.

So far, the Crowdfunder appeal via Spacehive has raised just under £15,000 of the sum needed.

If the sum is raised, then via the Spacehive scheme, it would be matched by Lancashire County Council’s Sports and Culture Fund.

Now, the Chair of the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, has issued a rallying cry for more people to donate, with time running out to help support the project.

‘’We still have to raise the matched funding for the amazing beautiful delicate tiled mosaic floor,’’ said Professor Vanessa Toulmin.

‘’(It) was badly damaged in the 1990s when the building was closed and under different ownership and the damage was heartbreaking. So the good news we are a third through our campaign and have reached 31% of our target.

‘’So friends, colleagues anyone who loves theatre and performance please share, it would be appreciated.

‘’We have 80 days to reach the target.’’

The Winter Gardens have already raised money from The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation, the Morecambe BID and the new owners of the Midland Hotel the Inn Collective.

Any work to the foyer would have to be complete before the main renovation work to the building, funded by DCMS and Arts Council, can begin, and it is hoped the money can be raised in time to carry out the repairs from October to March 2024.

It’s hoped the floor will be able to be restored through traditional sustainable methods by master craftspeople, to reveal what lies beneath - a magnificent architectural feature that has been covered for a long time.

The Winter Gardens’ forthcoming capital projects will result in the building closing every six months for three years to undergo the major capital works they have received funding for.

All funders & supporters will be invited to be the first members of the public back into the theatre for a preview day to see the work that has been done and to explore the theatre prior to the reopening in Easter 2024.

Supporters can also take in the volunteer days and have a chance to be part of the restoration during the two week volunteer period where our master conservator will explain the process behind the restoration and be part of the cleaning team.

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