Focus Consultants delighted by opening of restored First World War warship

Heritage and exhibition specialists at Focus Consultants are preparing for the opening of the Royal Navy’s only Gallipoli surviving craft following a major restoration of the First World War warship.

On 6^th August, The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) will open HMS M.33 to the public for the first time in her history, following a distinctive and extensive conservation project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Come the centenary of her launch, HMS M.33 will be the only First World War warship to allow visitors to walk her decks this year.

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants has been a part of the team involved in the £2.5 million ‘Commemorating Gallipoli – the HMS M.33 Project’, part of the NMRN’s wider ‘Great War At Sea 1914-1918’ programme to mark the Royal Navy’s First World War.

With the help of Focus as cost consultants, the restoration project secured almost £1.8 million from the HLF. Focus, which also has branches in London, Leicester, and in Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, was also CDM (construction, design and management) coordinator for the scheme.

“This project has brought HMS M.33 back to life and will enable visitors to go aboard this historic warship for the first time and explore the stories of those who fought on board,” said Focus Associate Eleanor Clarke. “The team at Focus Consultants has been proud to have played a part in the restoration of such an important ship in time for the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign she took part in.”

HMS M.33 is positioned in No.1 Dry Dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, alongside HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Museum. Focus has been involved in a number of schemes in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Working with Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust and the International Boatbuilding Training College, the company is project manager and quantity surveyor on a development to restore and refurbish Boathouse 4 and create a new £5.5 million Boatbuilding and Heritage Skills Training Centre.

HMS M.33 is the only surviving Navy ship from the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign, and as such, holds great historic importance. This is despite the fact she was constructed and sent into service so speedily that she did not even warrant a name. Fabricated in just seven weeks she was one of nearly forty “monitors” built in a rapid construction campaign following the outbreak of First World War.

Sir Peter Luff, Chair of HLF, said: “The role played at Gallipoli by the Royal Navy and Monitor Class ships like M33 in protecting soldiers in the August 1915 landings is an incredible story of perseverance, endeavour and bravery. It has a personal meaning for me as my father and his two brothers served in Gallipoli. So I'm particularly grateful that, thanks to National Lottery players, M33 is now open in the campaign’s centenary year and people can experience first-hand the conditions in which the men aboard lived and fought.”

The NMRN commissioned Ian Clark Restoration to conserve the fabric of the ship.

HMS M.33 launches on 6^th August 2015 and welcomes its first visitors on 7^th August.

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.

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

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

 

Reminder from Focus Consultants that new round of Regional Growth Fund is open for bids

Funding experts at Focus Consultants are reminding firms and private sector organisations that the deadline for submitting applications for the latest slice of a £3.2 billion pot of grants is fast approaching. 

Round six of the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, which aims to create economic growth and sustainable employment in England, is currently open for bidding. 

But with the deadline of 30^th September for applications only weeks away, companies and organisations are being urged to put together their bids now. 

Associate at Focus, Heather Frecklington, said: “Focus has supported a number of clients to secure investment from the Regional Growth Fund, with successes in both Rounds four and five.  This includes helping to secure more than £4 million of funding for manufacturer Bifrangi to develop a research and development centre in Lincoln. Focus worked closely with Bifrangi to develop their funding application, ensuring that the project demonstrated value for money and would support employment and training opportunities in the local community.” 

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a £3.2 billion fund, which aims to help companies throughout England to create jobs between now and the mid-2020s. It supports projects and programmes that are using private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. So far £2.9 billion has been awarded to almost 400 projects and programmes which are expected to deliver 573,000 jobs and £16 billion of private sector investment. 

Focus Consultants, which is based in Nottingham and has branches in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, specialises in helping organisations access funding opportunities and offers support right through to project completion. 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. 

“The current round of RGF funding opened on June 19^th,” said Heather. “Funding is focused entirely on private enterprise proposals and is available for high quality projects that can generate significant private sector investment and create sustainable jobs. The minimum bid threshold is £1 million.” 

As a multi-disciplinary consultancy, Focus offers support at all stages of the RGF process – from the initial concept and applying for funding through the design and development stage to project managing the works. 

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

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

Funding experts Focus Consultants assist in £11.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant for National Army Museum

A team including East Midlands-based Focus Consultants has played a key role in confirming an £11.5million Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant for the National Army Museum (NAM) in London. 

The company, which specialises in putting together funding bids and packages for arts, heritage, culture, leisure and regeneration projects, played a project management role in the successful application to the HLF. 

The grant will help fund the Museum’s ambitious Building for the Future project, which will enhance the Museum’s onsite, offsite and online elements. 

Focus has now been reappointed to deliver this project, which is due to complete in 2016. With its headquarters in Nottingham and offices in Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, and in Holborn, London, Focus has been appointed as project manager, quantity surveyor, CDM coordinator and contract administrator for the improvements. 

“This is a significant appointment for Focus Consultants to help redevelop a national museum that is aspiring to raise its profile on the international stage,” said senior consultant Eleanor Clarke. “It’s the latest in a considerable number of important museum contracts that Focus has secured, and we are looking forward to continuing our involvement in such a high-profile project.” 

The Building for the Future project will focus on four key areas, looking to: 

·         Revolutionise the visitor experience. A major restructure of the building and overhaul of Museum displays will create a more welcoming and engaging experience. 

·         Improve conservation of and access to the Collection. Consisting of over a million items, the Collection will be housed in new, environmentally controlled stores. 

·      Establish an ongoing programme of learning and outreach. Deliver an extensive programme of outreach across the country, opening up the Collection to over half a million people during 2014-16. This will be made possible through a range of partnerships including the pre-existing national network of 136 regimental military museums. 

·       Embed new working models of service delivery and public engagement. The project will enable NAM to redesign the way it works to become more audience focused and commercially sustainable. 

The £11.5 million HLF grant makes up half of the total project cost of £23.25 million. The remainder has been raised through the fundraising efforts of the museum and its supporters. 

Janice Murray, the director general of the National Army Museum, said: "We are delighted to have secured this major grant, and have already made steps towards implementing this hugely exciting project. Thanks to the help of the HLF, we will be able to enhance the museum's unique offering for our ever-growing audiences, ensuring we showcase and make available our outstanding Collection all over the country." 

Focus Consultants, which has assisted in applications for more than £925million of grants for clients over the past 20 years, is working alongside BDP, who are leading the design team for the project and Event who are the exhibition designers.

For more information about Focus Consultants visit www.focus-consultants.com

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