Folkestone students fundraise for Leas Lift
Students from The Beacon Plus, West Terrace, braved the recent cold snap to take part in a sponsored walk to raise funds for the restoration of the Leas Lift in Folkestone.
The Beacon, which is situated near the the lift’s Upper Station, provides children with complex needs, profound and severe learning difficulties, and physical and sensory impairments with personalised learning.
As part of the sponsored walk, James Walker-Osborn, Trustee of the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity, gave the students a private tour of the historic pump room.
He said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the pupils and staff for braving the weather for their sponsored walk. The school supported our bid to secure National Lottery Heritage Funding and has been involved with the project for some time now. They came to an early focus group and provided us with valuable feedback on the plans for displays and learning materials, ensuring that we meet the pupils’ needs and make the exhibits accessible for as many people as possible.
“Although we recently secured £4.8m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, it’s important that we continue to fundraise. The funding will be drawn down in stages so won’t be immediately available to us.
“We’re extremely thankful to everyone who fundraises locally as it means we can move the project on at a pace and achieve everything on our wish list. We’re currently looking for a Chief Executive Officer to oversee the restoration and re-opening of the lift and thanks to the local community continuing to fundraise, we’ve been able to advertise earlier than planned. There’s a lot of work taking place behind the scenes, with a view to construction work starting in 2024 – it’s a very exciting time for us all.”
James will be returning to The Beacon in the new year to talk to the students about the progress of the project.
The lift is due to reopen in 2025. For more information on the history of the Leas Lift and the campaign to reopen it, visit leaslift.co.uk.
