THIS TEAM IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THEY HAVE HIT THEIR CROWDFUNDER TARGET!

The Norman Nicholson House project team has pulled off a remarkable success by raising £20,000 towards the overall cost of the scheme, just nine hours ahead of the deadline set by the Architectural Heritage Fund to double their money.

The result of an online crowdfunder means the House project will see a benefit of £40,000, thanks to the AHF’s pledge to match all funds raised to a maximum of £20,000 by the end of today, January 31 2023.

Chair of the Norman Nicholson House project Charlie Lambert said: "I can’t quite believe it but people have been incredibly generous and really got behind our crowdfunder in this last week as the AHF’s deadline closed in.

"It’s been humbling to see the donations coming in from a wide range of people. Whether the amount has been small or large we know that it’s a tough time for people economically and we really appreciate every single donation."

The crowdfunder, hosted on www.GoFundMe.com, is titled ‘Breathe New Life into Norman Nicholson’s house’ and raises money towards the cost of buying and renovating the lifelong home of the Millom poet who died in 1987.

Charlie said: "This fundraising achievement makes a massive statement and will show major funding organisations how much support we have as we approach them for the significant additional funds we need in order to realise our ambitions.

"It isn't the end of the quest by any means because we still need a substantial amount in grants which we'll be applying for in the coming months, but the £40k is a really meaningful contribution and it also shows the big funders that people are really behind the project."

The project intends to turn the ground floor of the three-storey Victorian terraced house into a café and community hub, with the two upper floors becoming home to a lively museum interpreting Nicholson’s work for a modern audience.