A funding campaign using the ‘KindLink’ network has been launched by the Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIC, with a target of £100,000 to support restoration of the Folkestone Leas Lift and to reopen the Victorian Grade II listed lift and sustain its long term future.
Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIC writes on Kindlink:
Originally installed in 1885, in Folkestone, Kent, the Grade II Listed, Leas Lift is a funicular railway which carries passengers between the seafront and the promenade. It is one of the oldest water lifts in the UK. The Folkestone Leas Lift CIC was set up with the intention that the Leas Lift be brought back into use, with a sustainable and long term future. We aim to return the building into a functional and safe condition and to restore the Lifts to its Victorian glory. The Directors of the CIC bring a range of skills and experience including engineering, marketing and finance. Our goal is two-fold – to get the lift back into operation and, in the future, deliver something even more fabulous to Folkestone, which will be an iconic feature, much loved for generations to come. Charity Registration No. 11145968
Our plan is to raise as much money from the local and wider community as possible over the next few weeks and months, and this is the first round of funding we are asking the community to help with. Early estimates put the restoration figure at best as £525,000 and at worst £686,000, this will be become clearer once the surveys that will be undertaken soon are complete. The support we receive will give us an indication of how soon we can commission the start of the engineering work and, in turn, what a realistic target date is for reopening. Whilst we realise we need to raise a lot of money in a short amount of time, we have had strong indications that further financial support could be forthcoming from other sources. But, we must demonstrate community support and a longer term sustainable plan. Our goal is two-fold – to get the lift back into operation and, in the future, deliver something even more fabulous to Folkestone, which will be an iconic feature, much loved for generations to come.
