First World War project gains almost £1million grant with support from Focus Consultants

Funding experts at Focus Consultants have helped a council to secure almost £1million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to uncover the local history of the First World War. 

The grant to Doncaster Council will also be used to research the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) and create a lasting legacy which will be accessible to townspeople for years to come. 

Mike Lee, associate at Focus Consultants, which is based in Nottingham and has offices in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, said: “We are pleased and proud to have played a part in helping Doncaster Council to secure this grant from the HLF by assisting with the bid. 

“As the centenary of the First World War is being marked this year, it is particularly poignant that the council and local people will be focusing on this period of the history of the area. The project will help to expand on what is already known and will create a rich resource for generations to come.” 

An earlier HLF grant had been awarded to the council to fund the work that Focus carried out on the bid. 

A five-year project entitled Doncaster 1914-1918 will be launched on Remembrance Weekend, November 9th and 10^th, and will include a range of activities and events aimed at inspiring residents to research their own family history and contribute to a new interactive Doncaster heritage website. The website will make information about the First World War and the KOYLI currently held in council archives more accessible. As well as being searchable, members of the public will also be able to upload their own information. 

The Doncaster Council bid is one of the latest successful bids that Focus Consultants has been involved in. Since it was founded 20 years ago, it has helped to secure more than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country. 

It specialises in working with councils, arts and heritage organisations, leisure complexes, religious and secular groups, and tourism outlets to put together innovative bids for funding packages for development projects. 

Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, said: "This is fantastic news for people in Doncaster and we are extremely grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for this generous investment. Doncaster has a rich heritage and it will be interesting to see what we can add to the understanding of it over the course of the five years.”

Fiona Spiers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire and the Humber, said the HLF was delighted to announce support for the project. 

“Doncaster Museum holds some fascinating archives exploring the history of the conflict on the Home and Western Fronts - from rationing and zeppelin raids, to family memories and life in a battalion,” she said. “This project will enable the community to access them, bring stories to life and contribute to a digital legacy that will preserve a unique insight into the Doncastrian memory of the First World War for generations to come." 

Visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR firm Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Grant secured for historic town thanks to Focus Consultants

Interpretive design by PLB Projects
 

Focus Consultants has helped to secure a major Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant which will play a key part in showcasing the heritage of an historic Norfolk town. 

Experts at Focus supported the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk in its successful second round bid to the HLF, which resulted in a grant of £1,850,600 being awarded for improvements in the historic quarter of King’s Lynn. 

The grant is part of a cash injection of just under £5million which will fund two exciting projects that will enhance the King's Lynn St Margaret’s Conservation Area, remodel the Saturday Market Place and restore the town hall complex as a centre for the cultural life of the town. 

Focus has now been appointed to project manage the delivery of the Stories of Lynn project – a scheme to bring to life the stories of local people documented in the town’s impressive archive. King's Lynn was once a port of medieval importance, and the project will enable the story of the town's civic, social, economic and political life to be told.  

“We were very pleased to hear about the successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid, which Focus helped the council to develop and submit, and are now looking forward to bringing the ideas and plans to life,” said Mike Lee, associate at Focus Consultants. “The whole scheme will showcase King’s Lynn’s rich history, improve public access and will rejuvenate that area of the town.” 

Work is expected to begin early next year. 

The grant application is the latest in a string of successful applications supported by Focus, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, in Nottingham and has offices in Holborn, London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire. 

Since being founded 20 years ago, in 1994, the firm has helped to secure more than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

For more information please visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk  
Press release issued by Nottingham-based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Focus Consultants wins contract for new national museum

Focus Consultants has been appointed to project manage the creation of a new museum dedicated to the illustrator William Heath Robinson and his work.

A new national centre is planned for the understanding and appreciation of the work of the artist, who was well known for his humorous drawings which featured in publications such as The Tatler and The Sketch, as well as illustrations for the likes of works by Kipling and Shakespeare, and his own children’s stories. 

The William Heath Robinson Trust has partnered with colleagues at The West House and Heath Robinson Museum Trust in Pinner, North West London, to create a new museum to provide a permanent, secure home for its nationally significant collection of Heath Robinson’s work, as well as creating new opportunities for the public to explore the output of one of the country’s best loved artists. 

It is the latest museums appointment for Focus, which has its headquarters at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and offices in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn near Lincoln. 

“Focus Consultants has significant experience of working with museums and collections across the country, and we are looking forward to being part of the team that creates a new museum dedicated to William Heath Robinson and his work,” said James Peake, project manager at Focus Consultants. 

Focus, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary during 2014, will be working with architects ZMMA to project manage the delivery stage of the project, resulting in the construction of the museum. It is intended that tender documentation will be issued in November and a building contract awarded early next year. Bright White has been appointed as exhibition/interpretation designers. 

Trust Chairman, Martin Verden said: “These latest appointments follow the earlier selection of London-based ZMMA as architects and are further evidence that the museum is about to become a reality. Together with this team of experts we will be able to move on to the next phase of this exciting project.” 

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded the project £1.13m in December 2013 to build a new museum. This was subject to The West House and Heath Robinson Museum Trust raising a further £430,000 in partnership funding, of which £290,000 is already secured. 

Focus offers a range of services in the construction and development sector, including funding and economic development, regeneration expertise, energy consultancy and chartered surveying services. 

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country. 

It has worked on a range of high-profile projects in the arts, heritage and tourism sector, including some of the major museums across the UK, and important historical and ecclesiastical sites.

For more information visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR agency Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk