Morecambe's Winter Gardens opens its doors after Covid-19 restrictions are eased

Chair of the Preservation Trust, Prof Vanessa Toulmin, has been working with the Friends of the Winter Gardens to prepare them and feels confident that the volunteers will once again step up to the mark.

She said: "Both the Friends and the Restoration Team have been fantastic over the past few weeks. Obviously all of us have been devastated that we have not been able to go back into the building and we have lost thousands of pounds of income.

"But the public of Morecambe have just been fantastic; we've had a professional dishwasher donated, a card machine reader, and our restoration team has converted the cafe to enable all the social distancing rules to be in place and everyone has been just marvellous."

During lockdown the Winter Gardens lost more than £20,000 in income and with all events cancelled due to the restrictions on live venues for the foreseeable the next few months will be a crucial fundraising opportunity.

The Gardens is now open by pre-booking only. Entry is free with the popular tours returning and available for a limited amount of tickets priced at £8 and available via the Winter Gardens website here.The trust has also been working with Lancaster City Council and has benefited from support from the Morecambe BID and Morecambe Bay Business Associates.

Prof Vanessa thanked all the local people and businesses who have enabled the building to be ready to open.

"We couldn't have got this far without the support of the people of Morecambe," she said. "Thank you for supporting us and please come down and join us for a cup of tea or just to look around the building and see all the work the restoration team has done."

The Winter Gardens will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am to 5pm.