June 13 2016.


Lewes District Council and Wave Leisure recently received Transition Funding of £54,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for Newhaven Fort.

The funding will help progress the advancement of four distinct, but linked, activities which are designed to address immediate challenges facing the Fort. These activities include developing the Fort’s income earning potential, testing the feasibility of a conservation training initiative, staff development and building up the active volunteer base.

To ensure the integrity and long-term care of the Ancient Monument, working with Heritage England, a plan will be created to look at the feasibility of establishing a conservation training initiative located within the Fort. Ways of increasing the number of school visits, improving the events programme and better marketing initiatives are other aspects that the funding will help to deliver.

Commenting on the award Cllr. Andy Smith, Leader of Lewes District Council said: “We are taking a proactive approach to help secure the long-term future of Newhaven Fort. By working closely with Wave Leisure through a long-term service agreement, we have been successful in receiving funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund which will further improve the Fort as a visitor attraction.”

Duncan Kerr, CEO of Wave Leisure added: “We’re thrilled to have received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The funds will help us safeguard the future of this historic  building through improving the training of our committed team of staff and volunteers and testing out some new ideas. We hope that this is just the start of a series of significant improvements to the Fort over the next few years that will enable it to become one of the best visitor attractions in the area.”