Morecambe Winter Gardens gets £2.8m government grant for restoration

The Morecambe Winter Gardens first opened in July 1897

Volunteers who are restoring a 125-year-old theatre and concert hall have said they are "overwhelmed" after being awarded almost £2.8m government funding.

Morecambe Winter Gardens has been given a grant from a £60m Cultural Investment Fund.

The building, which first opened in 1897, is being turned into a 1,600-capacity music venue.

Winter Gardens Preservation Trust said the money was "transformative".

Chairwoman Vanessa Toulmin said: "We're completely shocked and overwhelmed and it's the largest single investment in the Winter Gardens in a hundred years.

"The Winter Gardens is a wonderful auditorium as you walk in lavishly decorated with amazing tiles and fixtures.

"It's a very practical award. It's very much based on architecture, design."

'No wiring'

The venue is one of 70 across the country to receive a share of the Cultural Investment Fund.

Ms Toulmin said the funding would help to turn the Winter Gardens into a fully-accessible music venue.

"On the second and third floor the seating is not in or only in parts. There's no electric, there's no wiring, there's no lighting," she said.

In its current state the venue did not meet modern health and safety standards, she said, adding the money would also be used to install a lift and toilets.

Vanessa Toulmin from Winter Gardens Preservation Trust says the grant will help volunteers create an accessible music venue

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the Cultural Investment Fund aimed "to level up access to arts and culture for everyone, no matter where they live" because "culture helps us create lifelong memories" and "can also boost tourism, support local business and drive local economic growth".

The venue has also secured £200,000 from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund but will need to match the £200,000 funding through fundraising.

Ms Toulmin said she was "absolutely confident we will reach that target".

"I know with the love and support that we have of the people who come to the building and with a programme of events we're going to put on and the crowdfunding we are going to put forward for some beautiful elements of the building."