Funding blow for Ulverston venue

Westmorland and Furness Council said the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s decision to turn down a £3.5m bid to expand The Coro was “very disappointing” but that efforts to work up a business case for the building’s regeneration would continue.

Located off County Square in Ulverston, The Coro is an arts, culture, and community venue that includes a library. It has been operational as an entertainment destination for more than 100 years. 

Working with local community groups, Westmorland and Furness Council bid for funding from the NLHF but was turned down in favour of more pressing projects, according to Cllr Helen Chaffey, the council’s cabinet member for communities, customer services, culture, and communications.

“The decision came down to the NLHF’s assessment of the importance of the competing heritage buildings and clearly we have been up against some very tough competition,” she said.

“We had hoped a successful bid would have allowed us to press ahead with a more ambitious development.

“However, this doesn’t affect our commitment to The Coro and we will be mindful of the feedback we’ve already had from the community as we work on the next stage of drawing up the business case for development plans.”

Chaffrey praised the collaborative approach to the bid and the input of local community groups.

“The outcome should not detract from the excellent work that went into preparing the bid, which was a real team effort.

“We may not ultimately have secured the funding, but I do believe that by working together on this bid we now have a much better appreciation of what the community wants from The Coro and we can continue to have constructive dialogue as we move forward.’’