Focus Consultants on board with replica 17th century sailing ship scheme

Launch of the Lennox in 1678 by Richard Endsor

Funding and business planning experts, Focus Consultants, have been appointed to work on an exciting project which will result in the building and launching of a full-size replica of the Lenox, a 17^th century sailing ship and which will be a major new tourist attraction based at Convoys Wharf, Lewisham, London. 

Convoys Wharf, originally known as the Deptford Dockyard, opened in 1513 and was first used by Henry VIII to build his naval fleet. The HMS Lenox was commissioned under Charles II in 1678 as the first of 30 ships built during his reign to expand the Royal Navy into a leading force in Europe. 

Convoys Wharf, which lies within walking distance of other popular maritime attractions, such as the Cutty Sark, The National Maritime Museum and the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich, has remained derelict for years. Now, planning consent has been granted for a major mixed-use waterfront development, encompassing both residential and commercial facilities. The Lenox project complements this development by highlighting the area’s unique maritime history.

As well as a replica of the Lenox, a new purpose-built visitor centre is planned which will display exhibits showcasing the history of the Royal Dockyard. It will also enable the public to see the ship’s construction, which is intended to be a mix of modern and traditional skills - the modern involving digitisation of the ship’s model and use of CNC routers to cut some of the timbers – and the traditional skills from the 17^th century, mirroring the Lenox’s original creation. The plans aim to create jobs for specialists in traditional wooden boatbuilding and will also include apprenticeship opportunities to ensure these skills will not be lost to future generations, whilst the use of modern skills is transferable into a wider range of industries. 

Nottingham-based Focus has been appointed by The Lenox Project, a registered charity, to develop a business plan for the project and to prepare funding bids to move the project onto the next stage of development.

Heather Frecklington, Partner at Focus Consultants, said: “This is a unique and extremely exciting project to be involved in. We are working closely with the Charity to set the project up to be a success and look forward to seeing this major London regeneration project come to fruition.”

Focus, which also has offices in London, Leicester and Boston in Lincolnshire, specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful companies of its kind.

It also offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

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

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

Focus Consultants in the driving seat at museum redevelopment

Focus Consultants is playing a key role in the redevelopment of one of the UK’s most historically significant sites for motoring, aviation and engineering after helping Brooklands Museum secure a grant of more than £4.5 million. 

The company has been appointed as project manager on the scheme at the museum in Weybridge, Surrey, which is the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, home of Concorde and the site of many engineering and technological achievements throughout eight decades of the 20th century. 

The redevelopment will transform the museum’s Grade II listed Second World War Wellington Hangar into The Brooklands Aircraft Factory; build a new annexe (the Flight Shed) to house more of the museum’s outstanding collection of historic aircraft; and restore the Finishing Straight of the Brooklands Race Track, the world’s first purpose-built motor-racing circuit. 

The Focus team was also instrumental in helping the museum to secure £4.681 million funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its Brooklands Aircraft Factory & Race Track Revival Project. 

Associate at Focus Consultants, Eleanor Clarke, said: “We were very pleased to hear about the HLF investment in this significant redevelopment at what is a very important site for the history of motoring, aviation and engineering. 

“The team at Focus is now working on delivering this exciting project, which also aims to inspire current and future generations to embrace science, technology and engineering, and will include a training scheme for volunteers in historic aircraft restoration and a raft of new activities on the Race Track.” 

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants, which also has offices in Holborn in London, Leicester, Boston, and at Aubourn near Lincoln, has worked on projects at a number of British museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Charles Dickens Museum, MSHED Museum of Bristol and Sea City in Southampton. 

Focus specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK. Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more than £953 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.1 billion of projects and programmes. 

The firm works across a range of sectors including heritage, museums, arts and culture, education and tourism. It is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and this year celebrates its 21^st anniversary. 

The Brooklands Race Track was opened in 1907 and marked the start of organised motor racing in the UK. Within a year, early experiments in aviation were taking place on the site as well. From these beginnings, Brooklands rapidly evolved into an outstanding centre for the development and operation of racing cars, motorcycles and aircraft. The first person to travel over 100 miles in one hour, Percy Lambert, did so at Brooklands in 1913. The first British Grand Prix took place at Brooklands in 1926, as well as the first public demonstration of powered flight in the UK in 1909. 

The redevelopment involves relocating the museum’s Wellington Hangar, built in 1940 on top of the Finishing Straight of the Race Track and used for the assembly of Wellington bombers and later for a variety of other industrial purposes. It now houses the museum’s famous Wellington “R” for “Robert” recovered from Loch Ness in 1985 and restored at Brooklands, and numerous other aircraft. Under the HLF-funded project, the hangar will be completely restored on a new site adjacent to its current one, allowing the Finishing Straight of the Race Track to be brought back into use for both motoring and aviation activities. The hangar itself will be presented as an aircraft factory. 

The museum has raised more than £1.9 million in match funding for the project and is currently fundraising for the remaining £260,000. Including preparation and development work already undertaken, the complete cost of the project will be some £7 million, making it the largest endeavour the museum has ever embarked on.  

For more information visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk
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Bassingham scouts supported by Focus Consultants and Linden Homes

A scout group has been given somewhere safe to store their equipment after two Lincolnshire firms teamed up to help.

Employees at Focus Consultants have been working with the 30^th Lincoln 1^st Bassingham Scout Group to help them find the funding to provide a new equipment store to replace old buildings which have to be demolished at their headquarters in Bassingham, near Brant Broughton.

Focus spotted a 20-foot metal storage container which had come to the end of its useable life span and which was owned by Linden Homes, a company that Focus has been working with on their Oasis development at Carholme Road in Lincoln. The development is now in its final phase so the timing was perfect for Linden Homes to come to the rescue by donating one of their old storage containers from the site to help the Bassingham Scout Group.

Jon Blanchard, site manager for Linden Homes at the Carholme Road development said: “We were only too pleased to help out with this as it fits in with our community engagement work we do as part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme where we are always looking at how we can go the extra mile.”

Senior building surveyor Darren Booker, from Focus Consultants, said: “As funding and building consultants we always strive to find new ways of helping projects succeed and are very pleased to help, especially when the local community benefits.”

Alison Kelly, who is the Bassingham Chief Scout Leader, said: “We can’t thank Focus and Linden Homes enough for their help and donation.  As a charity we are always looking to find new ways of funding equipment and activities for the children because without funding and volunteers we could not function; and it is times like this we really appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of people such as Linden Homes and Focus Consultants.  With support like this from local businesses it helps to make our funding stretch that bit further.”

Focus Consultants has offices at Endeavour Park, Boston, and Manor Farm, Aubourn near Lincoln, as well as branches in Nottingham, Leicester and London. It provides a range of consultancy services to the construction industry, including construction and property services, project and programme management, energy carbon sustainability support and economic development and funding advice.

Linden Homes, part of the Galliford Try Group, is a leading homes builder, with branches across the country. Linden Homes is an award-winning housebuilder and the sixth largest residential developer in the UK.

Visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR, on behalf of Focus Consultants. www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Focus Consultants and architects Purcell to host seminar in Nottingham on funding opportunities for cultural projects

Unlocking Opportunities for Arts & Heritage Projects Seminar

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants and architects Purcell are hosting a free half day seminar open to anyone involved in arts, heritage and conservation projects. The afternoon event will take place on 11^th February at Nottingham Council House.

The seminar will provide informed guidance on how to unlock, manage and implement funding to deliver best value. Guest speakers include Service Manager for Museums and Galleries at Nottingham City Council, Ron Inglis, Focus Consultants partner, Kevin Osbon and Niall Phillips, Head of Design at Purcell.  

Kevin will talk about the Focus approach to securing funding for cultural and heritage projects, using a series of case studies to demonstrate the range of grant funding available in the sector. The company has helped with funding bids for a number of key projects in Nottingham including the Playhouse Sky Mirror, Broadway Media Centre and the New Art Exchange.

Ron will discuss the key opportunities, challenges and obstacles faced by a client when applying for and receiving Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grants.

Niall will review creative ways of maximising the value of assets to assist towards resourcing projects and their future operation.

The seminar starts at 14:45pm ending with networking and canapés from 18.00pm.

Focus Consultants is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices in Leicester, Holborn, Boston and near Lincoln. Purcell opened its Nottingham studio last year and has regional studios across the UK.

Purcell is working on number of schemes in the area, providing funding advice, heritage consultancy and architectural services. Most recently, the practice prepared a Conservation Management Plan for the Malt Cross which contributed to its successful HLF bid.

Pre-booking is essential. For further information please contact Saneeta Mandil on 020 7397 7171 or email: events@purcelluk.com

www.focus-consultants.co.uk       @FocusLLP

www.purcelluk.com       @Purcelluk

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

Focus Consultants sponsors charity golf day

Focus Consultants has handed over £180 to Lincolnshire charity the Butterfly Hospice after organising a charity golf day for clients, associates and staff.

The event, at Belton Park Golf Club in the grounds of Belton House near Grantham, was organised by Trevor Newton, partner at Focus Consultants’ Lincolnshire offices.

He presented the £180 proceeds of a raffle held on the day to Jane Parsons from the Butterfly Hospice, which is based in Boston.

Situated behind Pilgrim Hospital, the hospice was opened by HRH the Princess Royal last year and has been furnished and equipped thanks to the support and generosity of local communities and businesses throughout south east Lincolnshire.

It is the first of its kind in the area to provide in-patient beds for people with a life-limiting illness and provides bedrooms with en-suite wet rooms, a large lounge, a kitchen, offices and treatment rooms.

"We are very pleased that Focus Consultants has been able to support the Butterfly Hospice, which is doing such great work in Lincolnshire,” said Trevor. “As a company, we like to give something to our local community.”

Focus Consultants, with offices at Endeavour Park, Boston, Aubourn, Lincoln, Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, Princess Road East, Leicester, and Holborn, London, specialises in creative approaches to securing funding packages and delivering high quality projects across the UK.

Since its creation in 1994, Focus has secured over £800 million of grant assistance, and delivered more than £1 billion of projects and programmes - including enterprise support, innovation, culture, health, regeneration, affordable homes and energy carbon sustainability projects.

The company is a leading edge multi-disciplinary funding, project management and surveying consultancy.

www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk