New Forest charity secures purchase of Foxlease site
The activity centre had been put up for sale by Girlguiding UK
A campaign group set up to save a New Forest children's activity centre has completed its purchase of the site.
Foxies Future has raised four million pounds to buy Foxlease near Lyndhurst, after Girlguiding UK, which has a base in Salisbury, announced it was up for sale 15 months ago.
It's hoped part of the site can reopen by mid-February.
Hazel Warwick, Foxie’s Future’s Chair of Trustees said:
“We've raised huge funds (in excess of £4million) in the 18 months since the charity was incorporated and our most significant thanks must go to the Goverment's Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for its total grant award to us of £1.78 million from Round 3 of the Community Ownership Fund - we couldn't have done it without that significant and valuable contribution which has enabled us to acquire the historic site for the benefit of the community.
“Our sincere thanks also go to our secondary grant funders, a number of which are locally based or have community roots in the New Forest and we are very grateful for their capital support of our project.”
Hazel also expressed the charity’s gratitude for the support they've received:
“Our thanks also go to each and every individual who has supported us by donating, loaning, fundraising or joining one of our fundraising schemes - the acquisition phase of the project has been a series of challenges and it has taken our community of supporters made up of former site users, and those in our local and international communities to get us over the purchase line to where we are now.”
Once the site reopens, the charity's looking to bring back its original name of Foxlease Park.
Foxie's Future is also seeking further fundraising support towards the next phase of the project, both to support costs until they're fully operational and to fund works needed to the site.