Focus Consultants project manages Gilbert White and The Oates Museum redevelopment

Gilbert White's House

After supporting a successful Round 2 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid in Spring 2016, Focus Consultants are pleased to announce that the renovation of the museum housing The Gilbert White and the Oates Collections in Selborne, Hampshire, has begun construction. Focus were appointed to project manage the £2.5 million redevelopment of the 17^th Century Grade II Listed house by the Gilbert White & The Oates Collections Trust (GWOC). 

The redevelopment work consists of the restoration of the stable yard and brew house, providing a new entrance, a shop and a café for visitors, as well as the conversion of the upstairs into a lettable flat. Additionally, the work includes the general refurbishment and reconfiguration of the layout to the main house, which will allow new exhibitions to be created, a new library, and which will increase the space to show more artefacts than ever before, many of which will be on display for the first time, including one of the few surviving original copies of “Aurora Australis”, the first book to be written, printed and bound in Antarctica. 

Once the home to naturalist Gilbert White, often regarded as the father of ecology, the museum, which offers educational and family orientated events throughout the year, boasts an extensive range of well-maintained gardens, which acted as a research base inspiring White’s most popular work The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, one of the most printed works of literature in the English language. 

The house, named The Wakes became a museum in 1954 when Robert Washington Oates secured the home as a memorial to the naturalist. Here he also established The Oates Memorial Museum and Library in honour of his cousin Captain Lawrence Oates, who was part of the fatal ‘Terra Nova’ expedition to the South Pole, and his uncle Frank Oates, famed explorer and one of the first Europeans to reach Victoria Falls.

The added exhibition space will allow the museum to take visitors on a journey through the exploration of the natural world, in particular linking to the three men. 

“It is always gratifying to be a part of a project like this, and the vision the Gilbert White & The Oates Collections Trust have for the museum is inspiring,” said Focus project manager Dan Mason. “I am confident the work the team is doing here will pay homage to the house’s fascinating history.”

The renovation is due to be completed and open to the public in Spring 2018.

Nottingham-based Focus Consultants, which also has branches in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, has, since 1994, secured for clients more than £953 million of grants for projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

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 appointed project manager on Tatton Park scheme

Tatton Park farm entrance

Heritage experts at Focus Consultants have been appointed to help drive forward a project to showcase the history of farming and its relevance to healthy eating today at one of the UK’s most well-known country estates.

Tatton Dale Farm in Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire, has received £1 million Heritage Lottery funding to develop a scheme to tell the story of food production for a large country estate from the late 18^th century to the 1950s. 

The project aims to bring alive the agricultural, architectural, technological, social and cultural heritage of Tatton Dale Farm through the ‘field to fork’ story - told through the mouths of former workers, its buildings, machinery, livestock and traditional agricultural skills.

It includes a new visitor hub at the farm’s agricultural mill building, as well as a number of site-wide hands-on experiences.

Focus Consultants, which has worked on a wide range of heritage and museum-related schemes across the UK, has been appointed to project manage the overall development alongside Cheshire East Council, which manages and finances Tatton Park on behalf of the National Trust.

Focus partner Steven Fletcher said: “Tatton Park is one of the UK’s most complete historic estates, and the team at Focus Consultants is very pleased to have been appointed to help develop the ‘field to fork’ story of the estate’s farm so that its story can be shared with future generations.

“We have extensive expertise in developing heritage attractions and are proud to be a part of the team providing a fascinating and enjoyable exploration of this uniquely well-preserved window into farming and food production at Tatton Park over two centuries.”

Focus, which is based in Nottingham and also has branches in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, has been involved in numerous heritage schemes, including at many London museums, as well as at the National Museum Wales, MShed in Bristol, SeaCity in Southampton, and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. 

Carole Mullineux, Tatton Park business development manager, said: “We’re delighted that Focus Consultants is part of our team. The ‘field to fork’ project is an exciting new initiative for us which will give us the opportunity to attract new visitors, protect Tatton’s heritage assets and ultimately realise the farm’s potential.”

Meanwhile, Cllr George Walton, chairman of the Tatton Park board, said: “This is an extremely important educational addition to the park and we look forward to working with Focus Consultants who will drive this forward.

“They have considerable experience in heritage projects of this nature and the ‘field to fork’ story will complement the many other attractions that combine to make Tatton Park one of the best visitor attractions in Britain.”

As well as providing skills in heritage development, Focus also specialises in funding and economic development including area regeneration strategies, funding applications, economic impact appraisals, business plans, and research and evaluation. Since 1994 Focus has also secured for clients more than £953 million of grants for projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

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 Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Museum appointment for Focus Consultants

Gilbert White's house

Experts at Focus Consultants have been appointed to project manage the redevelopment of Gilbert White & The Oates Collections after supporting a successful Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid to help fund the work.

The company project managed the development of the Round 2 HLF application for the scheme which is planned for the home of the Rev. Gilbert White, the eighteenth century naturalist and ornithologist who is widely regarded as being the first ecologist. The museum also plays host to the collections of two other explorers, Frank Oates and Lawrence Oates.

Hidden treasures, held for years in the archives of Gilbert White & The Oates Collections in Selborne, Hampshire, will become accessible to the public for the first time following the £1.687m grant from the HLF for the redevelopment of the museum. The award will be matched by almost £1m raised by the museum from other sources.

Now, Nottingham-based Focus Consultants has also been retained as project manager for the ongoing delivery of the scheme, which will restore Gilbert White’s stable yard and brew-house, providing a new entrance for visitors. Major improvements will be made to the museum increasing the display space to show more artefacts than ever before.

“This is a great moment for us – the culmination of years of planning and hard work,” said Dr Rosemary Irwin, Chairman of Trustees at the museum. “At long last visitors will be able to see some of the wonderful treasures we hold.”

Among the treasures to be made available to the public for the first time is one of the few surviving original copies of “Aurora Australis”, the first book to be written, printed, illustrated and bound in Antarctica. It was produced by a team working under Ernest Shackleton, leader of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition. Worried that his team might be ‘bored’ during the long Antarctic winter, Shackleton took with him a printing press and encouraged his colleagues to write articles for the book which was then printed and bound in boards made from used packing cases. Only around 70 copies of this extraordinary book were produced – the Queen and the British Library are among the others to have copies.

The Gilbert White’s House is the latest in a long line of heritage sites that funding and development experts at Focus Consultants have successfully supported in their bid applications to the HLF.

Partner Steven Fletcher said: “It is great news that the Heritage Lottery Fund is to support the development at the museum which will enable it to work towards achieving long-term financial sustainability, whilst preserving the estate. The Rev. Gilbert White is world renowned for his contributions to the literature of natural history, and Focus Consultants is delighted to be playing a part in helping to preserve this site and his legacy for generations to come. We are looking forward to project managing the scheme, as it moves forward.”

Focus, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices in London, Leicester and Boston and Aubourn 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.

The museum project, which is currently seeking planning consent and will be completed in the Spring of 2018, has also received substantial support, in the form of finance and architectural services, from Hampshire County Council, with donations also coming from numerous major trusts and foundations. Support has also been received from long-term supporters of the museum, such as the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

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

Nottingham Castle Success for Focus

Focus Consultants has played a key role in securing a major grant for the redevelopment of Nottingham Castle. The Heritage Lottery Fund announced that it has awarded Nottingham Castle with a First Round Pass of almost £13m to help transform Nottingham Castle and bring to life 1,000 years of history.

Focus Consultants has been working with Nottingham Castle Trust over the last two years to help formulate their ambitions for the Castle as a world class heritage attraction and to help raise the profile of Nottingham. Focus was the lead consultant working on the bid, providing project management, bid writing, business planning and cost advice services to Nottingham City Council to develop the successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The total project costs are around £24m and the HLF’s investment will help ensure the Castle’s heritage is brought to life as well as opening up a unique set of caves beneath the site. The project is part of exciting and ambitious plans to regenerate the city as a whole and put it firmly back on the tourist map.

It is the latest high-profile heritage scheme for Focus Consultants, whose head office is at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, with offices in Holborn in London, Leicester, Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire.

“The team at Focus Consultants are proud to have been involved in such a prestigious and exciting project, which will make Nottingham Castle a world class heritage attraction and we are delighted that the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund has been successful” said Focus Consultants partner Steven Fletcher.

Work will now take place to develop the project plans in detail before a final application is submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund in Autumn 2015.

Focus, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary during 2014, offers a range of services in the heritage 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 £925m 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 further information, visit www.focus-consultants.com

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

Focus Consultants project manages new museum gallery for the 2012 Olympics

East Midlands-based project managers Focus Consultants has played a key role in the creation of a new gallery at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery as part of the London 2012 Festival.

The World Stories: Young Voices gallery, which has just opened, displays Brighton Museum’s stunning collections from Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific alongside contemporary art and artefacts.

The gallery has been developed in partnership with young people from Brighton and Hove, and with the active involvement of source communities both locally and from around the world.

Focus Consultants, which is based at Phoenix Business Park, Nottingham, and has offices at Endeavour Park, Boston, Princess Road East, Leicester, Aubourn, Lincoln, and Holborn, London, was the project manager, quantity surveyor and CDM co-ordinator for the scheme, which is one of many national projects that make up the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad programme Stories of the World.

The company has worked on a wide range of museum developments, including the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, which was recently named UK museum of the year by the Art Fund charity, and SeaCity in Southampton, which opened earlier this year – a century after the Titanic set sail from the city.

“We were delighted to have been appointed as the project manager for the World Stories gallery at Brighton Museum which has been developed to mark the 2012 Olympic Games,” said senior project manager at Focus, Eleanor Clarke.

“The gallery features images, sound and film to bring the displays to life as well as temporary displays, hands-on activities and a comfortable seating area.”

Focus Consultants 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.

www.focus-consultants.co.uk

www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk

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