October 21, 2013 2.15 pm This story is over 125 months old

Funding appeal launched for Boultham Park in Lincoln

Restoration project: An appeal has been launched to raise £250,000 to help fund improvements to Boultham Park in Lincoln.
The Boultham Park fundraising appeal launch. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

An appeal has been launched to raise £250,000 to help fund improvements to Boultham Park in Lincoln.

The venture will restore key features and four new jobs have been created to drive the project forward, but additional match-funding is still required.

Headed by businessman and estate agent Philip Barnatt, the appeal was launched on Monday October 21 at the bandstand in Boultham Park.

The park has so far been awarded £2.7 million in grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund Parks for People programme in a joint venture by learning disability charity Linkage Community Trust and City of Lincoln Council.

The five-year project will see the restoration and conversion of the Boultham Estate stable block into an education centre, and the development of a café, shop and horticulture centre. Work will start towards the end of the year.

Philip Barnatt said: “The Park has been a special place for several generations. I want it to provide future generations with the resource we have loved whilst growing up.

“Linkage and the City of Lincoln Council have done exceptionally well to be awarded lottery money but this grant also requires the Boultham Park team to find hundreds of thousands of pounds to complete the work. I am appealing to all sectors of the community to help.”

A series of events will be announced shortly, but the proceeds of Linkage’s fundraising during the coming year will support the appeal, including its annual Bike Ride and the return of the October Ball in 2014.

Ges Roulstone, Linkage Chief Executive, says: “Boultham Park has been a special place for many Lincoln people and our project will make the most of the heritage whilst providing invaluable facilities such as café, shop and education centre. It’s a unique project to help the extraordinary people we support, whilst championing a community cause for the people of Lincoln.”

A free, comprehensive fundraising pack will shortly be available on the Boultham Park website for groups and individuals to help with the appeal.