Selsey Pavilion - Our Journey Part Two

The second part of the story begins with our quest to acquire sufficient matched funding to secure the purchase of the Pavilion within the time constraints that had been set by C.O.F. in March 2023. The National Lottery Heritage Fund was the chosen funder. Once again many pages of questions had to be answered and evaluation of potential outcomes had to be considered. The bid was submitted and another anxious wait ensued. In August, on the eve of the 110th anniversary of the Pavilion opening, we were informed that we had secured a grant of £249,405 which was for capital funding and partially financing local heritage projects that were to be undertaken by the trust. The H.L.F. were prepared to match up to 37% of approved expenditure which still left the trust with a few financial gaps to plug. The dream of purchasing the building was tantalisingly close to fruition.

The trust then applied for a £50,000 grant from Garfield Weston. We were delighted to receive confirmation of our successful bid and now it was all systems go to progress towards purchase. The sale was agreed with the owner, Mr Jeff Allan, and solicitors were instructed to commence the purchase process. However, once the purchase had been completed the trust would need to rapidly undertake vital repairs to the building to ensure that it was safe. Other attendant costs such as insurance, paying consultants and architects would have to be met in the immediate aftermath of the purchase. A successful application was made to the Swire Trust and a further grant of £24,000 was received. The trust also acquired some matched funding from Chichester District Council and a small award from Persimmon Homes.

It was anticipated that the purchase would be completed by Christmas. The trustees were hoping to announce acquisition as a seasonal gift to the community. Unfortunately, the wheels began to move extremely slowly and levels of anxiety and the number of sleepless nights increased as the "cut off" date loomed ever larger over the horizon. January passed as did most of February. Eventually, completion was secured in late February and we were able to proudly announce our purchase of the Pavilion on behalf of the community. In April 2024 the trust made a successful bid to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for the replacement of the dilapidated port hole windows on the facade of the building. Finally, the Selsey Town Council awarded a grant of £35,000 at the Annual Selsey Town Meeting in April.

Our journey is far from complete. A huge amount of work needs to be undertaken for the Pavilion to be fully restored to its rightful status as the beating heart at the centre of the community. Reading through these blogs may lead you to believe that every funding bid was successful. While we have experienced a significantly higher success rate than envisioned we have not been spared some disappointments. Securing funding for a major project is always going to be a process of ups and downs. Fortunately our successes have significantly outnumbered our disappointments. However, we have no cause for complacency. The trust is constantly exploring potential funding avenues to ensure that the journey can be sustained. The Selsey Pavilion Trust gratefully acknowledges the vital role that all of our funders have played in bringing us to where we currently stand. We are humbled and encouraged by the interest and support we have received from the community which include donations, offers of volunteering or just sharing wonderful memories of the Pavilion.

We have reached the end of the beginning but the journey continues.