Selsey Pavilion Trust Awarded Grant From The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the Selsey Pavilion Trust a grant of £249,405 towards purchasing the Selsey Pavilion. The funding, announced on the eve of the building’s 110th birthday, was made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

The Heritage Fund grant will allow the charity to unlock its Community Ownership Fund grant, awarded in March, and bring the Pavilion into community ownership. The funding will also support a part-time community outreach role and several exciting community-led heritage projects.

Chair of the Selsey Pavilion Trust, Christian Skelton, said:

“We are ecstatic to have received this grant. Our journey to bring the Pavilion into community ownership is nearly complete, thanks to National Lottery players. And our dream of creating a vibrant community arts and heritage centre for Selsey is a huge step closer to reality!”

The Selsey Pavilion, constructed in 1913, is a rare and original art deco theatre and cinema hall. It was a multi-purpose entertainment venue in its heyday, hosting popular community events and famous performers, including Nijinska’s Russian Ballet, Nelson Keys and Bransby Williams.

After the Second World War, the Pavilion became a popular full-time cinema and hosted seasonal pantomimes before closing in the mid-70s. It’s been a long-held ambition by many in the community to re-open the Selsey Pavilion to the public, and thanks to National Lottery players, it can now become a reality.

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, which is why we are proud to support the Selsey Pavilion Trust with this project. It will bring this building back to life for its community, by its community. We know that heritage can play a huge role in bringing people together and creating a sense of pride in people’s hometowns and cities, and in turn, boosting the local economy, and this project is a fantastic example of that.”

The Selsey Pavilion Trust will now appoint solicitors to start working on the purchase of the building and hope to achieve acquisition by the end of the year.