Queens Market Morecambe

[Map Rousch]

Mr Smith has been working to attract investors to help him fund a company to run the 'Queen's Market' as a food hall and centre to develop skills and a sense of civic pride in Morecambe residents, particularly young people.

"If funding is not found by then, the community interest company will be shut down and the money raised up to that point will be given to St John's Hospice. I will then let the building at full market rent.

"It's about regenerating the town, it's about growing talent, it's about giving the opportunities to the young people and the older generation to really shine and have a 'Morecambe Made Me' brand to the whole town.

"We need to get enough for the CIC to be able to exist in the building by paying rent, insurance, business rates, planning consent fees, alongside setting up the projects and paying people to do that," he said.

"1 million is of course a very ambitious figure and with that amount we would have no problem finding enough people to run each of the projects inside the building, set up the food hall and make the businesses thrive, giving back the profit to the CIC.

Nick Smith has spent the last seven years restoring the former Palladium Cinema, Crystal T's and Concorde Squash Club building on Victoria Street in the town centre completely on his own.\n\nMr Smith has been working to attract investors to help him fund a company to run the 'Queen's Market' as a food hall and centre to develop skills and a sense of civic pride in Morecambe residents, particularly young people.\n\nBut the project has now reached "breaking point", says Mr Smith.\n\n"I have been given an ultimatum by my family that we can't carry on past Christmas," he said in a statement on the Queen's Market Facebook page.\n\n"If funding is not found by then, the community interest company will be shut down and the money raised up to that point will be given to St John's Hospice. I will then let the building at full market rent.\n\n"For almost seven years I have been restoring this amazing building completely on my own.\n\n"If the community isn't behind this project, I'll have no choice but to sell out to out of town developers."\n\nNick, who bought the-then derelict building for 50,000 at an auction in 2015, recently told Beyond Radio about his plans for the project.\n\nHis vision is for Queen's Market to be used for art, performance, music, science, tech and engineering projects, education, experience-led retail and much more.\n\nHe has called the project 'Queen's Market' because it was first built as a market hall in the 19th century.\n\nLISTEN to Nick speaking about the Queen's Market project reaching its "breaking point".\n\n\n \n\n\n"I'm trying to get across to the people of Morecambe what the building is going to do for Morecambe," he said.\n\n"It's about regenerating the town, it's about growing talent, it's about giving the opportunities to the young people and the older generation to really shine and have a 'Morecambe Made Me' brand to the whole town.\n\n"I've restored the building. It was going to be demolished. I've saved it into what I believe to be a really special building, and that's all done now.\n\n"We have a community interest company (CIC) set up that can't exist within the building until we have a fire system and all the health and safety protocols.\n\n"That's beyond my means to finance, so I'm looking for any help financially and ambassadors for Queen's Market to help do what the building is going to do for the town.\n\n"It's about bringing in organisations, businesses and charities and using Queen's Market as a showcase to grow the town.\n\n"But without the funding, we're not going to succeed, and I'm at this breaking point where it may have to be a commercial let, and not the special project it's going to be."\n\n\n\nNick is running a 'sponsor a petal' initiative where people can have their names on the ceiling of the building in exchange for a donation, in an attempt to raise 1 million.\n\nHe has also created a 'bee' as a symbol for the project, because of the 'BE' in the word 'Morecambe'.\n\nMr Smith said he believed the CIC would need at least 300,000 to set up.\n\n"We need to get enough for the CIC to be able to exist in the building by paying rent, insurance, business rates, planning consent fees, alongside setting up the projects and paying people to do that," he said.\n\n"1 million is of course a very ambitious figure and with that amount we would have no problem finding enough people to run each of the projects inside the building, set up the food hall and make the businesses thrive, giving back the profit to the CIC.\n\n"As the property owner, I need to be certain that the CIC can maintain itself and pay all its own bills without me subsidising it, before it takes on the lease.\n\n"On that basis, I would possibly say 300,000 - this would give me confidence that the project could take off without me having to eject my own CIC for not being able to pay their rent\/bills."\n\nNick will host open days this Saturday, September 3 and Sunday September 4, from 10am to 4pm for anyone who would like to take a look around the building.","image":"https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/458\/630e1e9e41768.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-29T21:54:12+00:00","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondradio.co.uk\/news\/local-news\/morecambe-queens-market-project-may-be-scrapped-unless-funding-found\/","publisher":"@type":"Organization","name":"Beyond Radio","headline":"Morecambe Queen's Market project may be scrapped unless funding found by end of year","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Greg Lambert"} Search Search Local Business Partners

"It's the people I've spoken to in the street. There's somebody who gives me a pound every time he sees me. He believes in me and that I've got the tenacity to pull this off. I don't want to let those people down.

A fundraising 'Sponsor a Petal' plan, where he hopes to raise 1m from one million people paying 1 each to have their names on hand-painted dandelion petals on the ceiling, has filled just 2,000 petals to date.

Nick Smith continues to battle on in his plans to kickstart a community regeneration project inside the former Crystal T's building in the town centre.\n\nLast year Nick was on the verge of scrapping his plans for a community hub where local people can go to develop skills in art, performance, science, technology and much more.\n\nHe realises he could rent out the former market, nightclub and squash club; or convert it to flats as an easy cash-in.\n\nBut the former Morecambe High School pupil - who has worked for seven years to revitalise the venue - says he can't let the people down who believe in him.\n\n"I'm on this precipice, I could go either way," Nick told Beyond Radio's Bryan Griffin, in an interview for the 'Happy Talk' podcast.\n\nLISTEN to our interview with Nick Smith\n\n\n \n\n\n"I could let it commercially and make a load of money but that won't help the town. It will create jobs but it won't create opportunities and it won't create careers.\n\n"It's the people I've spoken to in the street. There's somebody who gives me a pound every time he sees me. He believes in me and that I've got the tenacity to pull this off. I don't want to let those people down.\n\n"I don't want to sell out, make a load of money, but feel that I can't walk around Morecambe."\n\n\n\nThe Victoria Street building was built as the Queen's Market in 1895.\n\nIt later became home to the Palladium Cinema, then Crystal T's and Concorde Squash Club, but had been closed for years until Nick bought it at auction for 50,000 in 2015.\n\nHe then began the painstaking process of clearing the derelict building of 200 tonnes of rubbish, restoring original features, and transforming the look of the interior and exterior - all by himself.\n\n\n\nHe has made great progress with the renovations, but still Nick is struggling to find the funding and support he needs.\n\nA fundraising 'Sponsor a Petal' plan, where he hopes to raise 1m from one million people paying 1 each to have their names on hand-painted dandelion petals on the ceiling, has filled just 2,000 petals to date.\n\n\n\nLast year Nick said the project was at 'breaking point' and he was unlikely to continue past the end of 2022 unless investment could be found.\n\nBut he has decided to carry on, determined to make a breakthrough with his plans.\n\n"It is really hard at the moment," he said.\n\n"When I bought it people said knock it down and make flats, and that seems to be the answer to everything.\n\n"I've saved the building and that's what I set out to do. I don't need to take the full market value. I have the opportunity to let the entire building to the community company I've set up."\n\nNick has established the Queen's Market Community Interest Company, hoping to invest in local talent - be it performers, chefs, writers or engineers - who would then say 'Morecambe made me'.\n\nSome of his ideas for the building include a science education experience and an innovations cafe.\n\nOn Easter Monday Nick held an open day at the Queen's Market for people to take a look around the building.\n\nAward-winning local band Indifferent Monkey also recently did some filming at the venue.\n\nFor more details on the Queen's Market project and the fundraising page see the Facebook group here or go to queensmarket.org\n\nAll donations will go to the Community Interest Company to help with setting it up.\n\nRelated Story: Morecambe Queen's Market project may be scrapped unless funding found by end of year - Beyond Radio\n\nLISTEN to more of Bryan Griffin's 'Happy Talk' podcast series here:\n\nHappy Talk - Beyond Radio","image":"https:\/\/mmo.aiircdn.com\/458\/630dd10855c62.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-13T14:19:45+00:00","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondradio.co.uk\/news\/local-news\/interview-i-dont-want-to-sell-out-says-man-who-singlehandedly-restored-iconic-morecambe-venue\/","publisher":"@type":"Organization","name":"Beyond Radio","headline":"INTERVIEW: \"I don't want to sell out\" says man who singlehandedly restored iconic Morecambe venue","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Greg Lambert"} Search Search Local Business Partners

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