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City charity in £1m lotto dream boost
Hilary Holden celebrates a lottery grant for the Space Centre garden. The charity is in line for even bigger funding
Volunteers at a Preston charity were today celebrating being given the go-ahead to start work on a £1 million development dream.
The Space Centre, which supports people with special needs, has been awarded £106,000 to develop plans to restore its historic Willows walled garden.
And if these are approved by Preston Council planners, a further £800,000 will be made available by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Hilary Holden, fund-raising manager at the centre in Pedders Lane, Ashton, said: “This is wonderful news for us, especially at a time when everything in the country in a little sad – it is a bright star.”
Centre manager Alison Shorrock said: “We’re absolutely overwhelmed. This is going to make such a difference. We’ll be able to make the garden accessible to everyone. It’s amazing.”
The centre is aiming to renovate and develop the garden, which was designed by one of the country’s foremost landscape architects, Thomas Mawson.
Alison said: “The garden really is beautiful. We knew it was special when we bought the site, but we didn’t realise quite how special until we consulted English Heritage and they got very excited about it.”
The initial grant of £106,000 will pay for comprehensive plans to be drawn up and if these are given the green light work can begin on the actual garden.
The new money will also allow the centre to employ someone to co-ordinate the project.
Alison said:”This isn’t just about restoring the garden, which is decaying, We also want to put in a woodland walkway that can be used by everyone, including the local community.”
The Space Centre is used by a huge range of groups and individuals, including mum Jane Robinson, 37, from Lostock Hall.
Her seven-year-old daughter Emily, who suffers from a rare condition called lissencephaly, is a regular visitor, both with her school and with mum.
Jane said: “The centre is a tremendous resource so I’m delighted about the funding.
“Emily has really benefited from her visits here. It’s helped her communication and taught us to look out for even small signs of progress.
“She loves the heated water bed, the fibre optic lights and the bubble tubes. If the garden is developed it will mean we can spend more time here after her therapy sessions.”
The centre, which caters for people with profound and multiple disabilities, is already fundraising to expand its indoor facilities to provide families with somewhere to go when they are not using the therapy room.
Last year it was awarded a Future Builders grant of £366,000, and its Buy a Brick campaign, which is supported by the Evening Post, aims to add a further £350,000 to this.
Alison said that everyone was keen for the work on the garden to go to local businesses, many of whom had supported the centre over the years.
She said: “This will be the most fantastic investment in the local community with local firms bidding to do the work.
“In these stricken times the money will go into local businesses and into creating jobs, which is good news for Preston.”
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Wednesday 22 February 2012
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Bladesmum
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 12:29 PMAs a volunteer iI would say that it was a rather unfortunate title to what was otherwise a good story. The article pointed out that what we had received was £106,800 most of which is being used to create a new job-great news in these hard times- and to plan new activity within the garden. Yes, thankfully some of the grant is being used to pay for local professional firms to work up further conservation designs and if approved could result in further funds for work in the gardem, job creation and training for local people. We are very happy to use all ur own hard earned income for the benefit of the thousands of disabled children and adults that use our service but it is wonderful that this work which will benefit us, our community and local business where the money is being spent is being funded by the Lottery.
River
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 04:22 PMThe Space centre do excellent work, it's a shame that they have to live hand-to-mouth relying on a series of one-off handouts from charities and agencies, instead of having a regular reliable income. If 'Big Society' was more than rhetoric, then the whole voluntary and charitable sector would not be suffering massive cuts.
tangerinefan
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 03:37 PMHerbert and sydney make good points. I presume that Lottery funded projects are similar to government funded projects where most of tax payers money goes on vulture like architects and money grabbing contractors who up their prices. If people knew the half of what goes on when governments award money.......... Good luck to Space its a good place!
Herbert Birdsfoot
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 02:52 PM"The initial grant of £106,000 will pay for comprehensive plans to be drawn up." £106,000!? Who they got drawing 'em, Leonardo Da soddin' Vinci?
sydney olympic
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 02:10 PMAn exelent place with people who do an exelent job......But £1,000,000 to develop a garden????????????????????
jaypeecee1
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 01:33 PMGood Luck to Space. This is an excellent charity and totally deserves the funding.
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