STRICTLY EMBARGOED
UNTIL 00:01 MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2009
Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster is being restored to
its former glory, one of our finest Victorian railway stations
will be transformed, and fishermen’s cellars from the 1800s will
be refurbished as the latest round of the Government funded Sea
Change programme is announced.
Seven coastal resorts across the country from the South West to
the North East are receiving a grant including, Plymouth,
Barrow-in-Furness, Fleetwood, St Ives, Roker, North Tyneside and
Margate. The Sea Change programme, funded by DCMS, is designed to
invigorate England’s seaside towns through investment in culture
and heritage.
Margaret Hodge, Culture and Tourism Minister, said:
“What I love most about the Sea Change programme is the huge
variety and diversity of the projects that receive funding. What’s
exciting is that many of these grants will enable our seaside
towns to celebrate their fantastic heritage and history whilst at
the same time making the services and cultural facilities they
offer completely relevant for the future.
“Sea Change is all about investing in culture and heritage to
stimulate regeneration in coastal towns that are struggling.”
CABE Chief Executive Richard Simmons commenting on behalf of the
Sea Change partnership said:
“These seven projects all demonstrate how culture can be a
catalyst to recapture the flair that these places enjoyed in their
heyday. I especially like the plan to regenerate Dreamland in
Margate, and showcase the country’s oldest rollercoaster and a
listed scenic railway. It is ambitious projects like this,
creating new national attractions, that can rekindle the English
love affair with our seaside.”
Margate has been awarded £3.7 million to help fund an ambitious
project to rejuvenate the town’s Dreamland Amusement Park. This
includes plans to restore a collection of historic amusement rides
many of which are the last surviving examples of their type. The
listed scenic railway and the oldest surviving rollercoaster in
the UK will be restored and the Grade II* listed Dreamland cinema
will also be given a facelift.
In North Tyneside a Sea Change grant of £2 million will help
transform the Grade II* listed Tynemouth station, arguably one of
the finest and most important examples of a Victorian railway
station in Britain. The funding will ensure the historic canopies
on the building can be repaired, and the plans also include
enhancing the existing exhibition space.
A £1 million grant for Roker, in Sunderland will help revive the
town as a thriving historic coastal resort. Sea Change funding
will be used to create a trail inspired by the area’s heritage and
culture and also create an illuminated exhibition space.
The historic fishing industry in St Ives will be celebrated with
a Sea Change grant of £900,000 to take forward plans to redevelop
and restore the 200 year old Grade II* listed Porthmeor Studios.
The complex faces on to the beach and epitomises the connection
between the town, fishing industry and local artists. As part of
the project, new studios will be created and two of the old
fishermen’s cellars will be refurbished.
Fleetwood, in Wyre will receive funding of £835,000 to create a
performance and recreational space on the seafront at the North
Parade. The scheme will reflect the viking, roman and neolithic
history of the resort. A mythic trail along the coast will be
developed and an observation centre for local bird and wildlife
created, as well as a public art programme which will see local
artists compete to design and manufacture artwork that will then
be displayed in three locations along the coast.
A new visitor centre on Piel Island in Barrow-in-Furness will be
created with a Sea Change grant of £280,000. The new centre housed
in a refurbished building at the Grade II listed Ship Inn will
also provide information about local heritage and orientation for walkers.
And a development grant of £100,000 for Plymouth will help
develop plans for relocating the Plymouth Arts Centre on the Hoe.
The plans are for a centre that will house two cinemas, as well as
education and production spaces along with a cafe.
151/09
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Sea Change programme runs for three years from 2008 to
2011, giving a range of large and small grants each year to
seaside resorts. It is led by CABE working with the Regional
Development Agencies, English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council, Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund
and the Big Lottery Fund. It was announced in November 2007. DCMS
press notice 147 which refers to this can be found at www.culture.gov.uk
Contacts:
DCMS Press Enquiries and Out of hours telephone pager
Phone:
020 7211 6263
Mobile: 07699 751153
NDS.DCMS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Emma Marsh.
Phone: 020 72116271
emma.marsh@culture.gsi.gov.uk