A £3.4m Levelling Up bid to central government is crucial for a new performing arts centre in Lymm says the Chair of the working group set up to deliver the state-of-the-art facility.
The bid would provide a new, purpose-built facility on the Lymm High School site, to be used by all schools and the community. It would have a large, professionally equipped performance hall which can be used for big events such as school productions, dance shows, concerts, Lymm Festival events, music gigs, and even touring companies and shows.
It is part of a larger bid to government from the Council, covering investments in south Warrington in the arts, sports and leisure including a redevelopment of Broomfields Leisure Centre and new facilities for disabled sports in Victoria Park.
Kieran Walshe, who chairs the Lymm Performing Arts Working Group, said: “This bid is crucial to getting this new facility for Lymm and we are delighted with the support we have had from both the council and from Andy Carter MP, as well as Lymm Parish Council, Lymm Festival and lots of local performance groups. Lymm has fantastic performing arts in both schools and the community, but there has been very little investment in facilities and support and it shows. This could be a real gamechanger!”
Meanwhile, Mr Carter said: “I’m thrilled that we’ve put forward a £3.4million submission for a new performing arts centre in Lymm as part of Warrington South’s Levelling Up Fund bid. I’ve been working closely with the Lymm Performing Arts Working Group to ensure we push to include this money. A new facility for schools, community groups and touring companies to stage their shows will be a fantastic boost for the local area and the wider Warrington region as a whole. I look forward to hearing the result of our Levelling Up bid in the coming months so we can press ahead with making this a reality.”
Warrington Borough Councillor and chair of the Lymm Festival, Ian Marks, said: “This would be a massive boost to performing arts in Lymm and the surrounding area and very welcome investment in our community. The Lymm Festival is a great showcase for local, regional and national talent and the new centre would enable it to thrive and grow, and help bring performing arts to the fore in our community throughout the year.”
Warrington Borough Council’s Head of Inclusive Growth and Partnerships, Eleanor Blackburn, added: “A key priority through our Levelling Up Funding bids is to deliver new facilities which make a real difference to people’s lives, by promoting health and wellbeing and making arts and leisure accessible for all. The new, purpose-built performing arts centre in Lymm would be a huge asset for the area, providing much-needed performance space for our thriving arts scene. It would bring real benefits – not only to people in Lymm, but in the east and south of Warrington and north Cheshire, providing valuable performance and rehearsal space for drama, dance, and music. We’re hopeful that we will be successful in securing funding for this exciting project.”
The outcome of the bid will likely be announced in the autumn, and if it is successful then the Lymm Performing Arts Working Group will be seeking matching funding from other funders and community fundraising and working with the local community on the design and development of the new building, with the aim for it to open in 2024.
The full case for investment is on the Lymm Performing Arts website at www.lymmperformingarts.org.uk. For more information, email [email protected]
