04/11/2023
GREAT NEWS ALERT!!!! - The Leas Lift will re-open in 2025 ❤️
The Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity received £4.8million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to reach their total fundraising target of £6.6million 👏👏👏
The Leas Lift funicular in Folkestone, Kent, is one of only three water-balanced lifts to survive in the UK, and will be restored thanks to National Lottery players.
The Grade II* Listed at risk Leas Lift will now be brought back into public use with a varied programme of activities to educate, inspire, engage and serve the local community, as well as providing step-free access from the seafront to the town.
The campaign to save the nationally significant heritage asset, which is much loved by the local community, began in 2018 when volunteers came together to save the lift and ensure its future.
Cathy Beare, Chair of the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity, said: “This is a huge win for us. We are thrilled to have secured support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which unlocks further funding and allows us to work towards re-opening in 2025.
“As a team, we have come a long way and I am very proud to chair a dedicated and passionate board of volunteer trustees that have brought the concept of operating Folkestone’s rare heritage water balance lift closer to reality. We can’t wait to welcome passengers back 140 years after it was first installed. People tell me the hard work starts now, although it certainly feels like we are well on the road to success.”
