Morecambe theatre to get vital floor repairs after hitting £45k fundraising target

A crowdfunder was set up by the theatre team in a bid to raise the money needed to carry out vital restoration work on the tiled floor.

And they have now received official notification from fundraising site Spacehive that the £45,000 target has been reached.

Work will start later this month during the short window that the theatre had available for renovations to be done between now and March 2024.

The work will include restoring and replacing the many thousands of tesserae tiles that make up the floor and replace elements of the Victorian features.

The floor was designed in 1897 by the Campbell Tile Company.

Years or neglect, vandalism and damage have resulted in the unique and bespoke floor being currently covered and protected, but as more people visit the building the greater the possible damage.

Prof Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, said more than 170 individual donors gave money towards the work.

She said: "A special thanks to all our donors and each and every one of you has received a personal thanks from the Winter Gardens.

"We are delighted that we have reached our target of £45,000 for the cost of our beautiful mosaic floor and the work will start on the 23rd October.

"The funding was achieved through individual donors, over 170 of them from all over the UK, with many of them having a strong love or association with our beautiful building.

"We reached our target through a major grant from the Pilgrim Trust which was a highly competitive two process application but one that we felt strongly matched the criteria of this wonderful charity.

"We must also thank our dedicated volunteers who raised over £5,000 through Teddy Tombola, cake sales, fundraising events and just spreading the word locally and going door to door.

"Also the team from St John's Hospice and Jon Richardson for the wonderful event that raised £3,650 towards our target.

"This £45,000 was the final piece in the £400k we had to raise to match our £2.8m pound grant from DCMS and the Arts Council and we are delighted that we have achieved this target, the only voluntary run organisation to do so.

"So we will continue to fundraise for our theatre, we will continue to restore and bring it back to life for the people of Morecambe, Lancashire and the north west and beyond and of course for future generations to enjoy the glory of what is without doubt one of the jewels of Morecambe.

"Thank you so much as well to the local businesses that supported us, The Inn Collective, Morecambe BID, Silverdale Seaview Holidays and all those individuals who contributed from £5 to £3000, and thank you Elsie Kennedy and Mike Peel for your generosity.

"We look forward to welcoming you back into the Winter Gardens next Easter and you will be invited to a special preview of the newly restored floor and also the new staging which we hope to have in place.

"I am so proud to be part of something special for my hometown and overwhelmed by the support of all.”