Charity receives £3.5m to improve historic hall

The refurbishment at Weelsby Hall will create accommodation for young people with learning disabilities

A Lincolnshire-based charity has been awarded £3.5m to refurbish a Victorian mansion house and estate in Grimsby.

Linkage Community Trust will use the funding to repair Weelsby Hall and enhance the facilities for young people with learning disabilities, difficulties and neurodiversity.

The refurbishment will expand the charity's care training provision, sensory facilities and will also include new accommodation.

Valerie Waby, the chief executive of the charity, said: "This is a huge step forward in improving the Weelsby estate, the local economy and creating opportunities to elevate the quality of life for young people through the opening of a new residential care home."

Officials at the charity said Weelsby Hall, built in 1890, is no longer fit for purpose and several buildings are in need of "significant repair".

The funding, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will help to restore the buildings and develop the 12-acre grounds using wildlife boxes, a sensory trail and bee-friendly plants.

Once works are complete, the hall will be used as a care training hub with sensory facilities, offices and also create 37 new jobs.

The former stables will be converted into a residential care home for eight young people.

Councillor Hayden Dawkins, the portfolio holder for culture, heritage and visitor economy said: "We’ve been working with organisations to protect and restore our heritage across the borough, providing opportunities to enrich the lives of our local communities.

"News of this significant grant is great, both for Linkage, the people they support and the wider community."

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.