Rising costs have put pressure on Ulverston’s Roxy restoration but the team behind the project says they remain determined to deliver their full vision for the historic Art Deco landmark.
A group of volunteers known as the Roxy Collective have taken over the venue to restore its art deco building.
The Roxy has been delivering its £500,000 refurbishment, funded by Borderlands, to modernise and enhance the iconic building after previous funding from the Community Ownership Fund.
The Borderlands Partnership Board is supporting five Cumbrian towns – Dalton in Furness; Egremont; Penrith; Ulverston and Wigton – as part of the Borderlands Place Programme, a major programme to support the development and renewal of towns across the region.
Through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, £50m was committed by UK and Scottish Governments to the Borderlands Place Programme.
This aims to target investment in places that will help boost economic activity across the region and recognises the importance of our smaller rural market and coastal towns to the local economy.
The development of Place Plans for each town in the programme will help communities and places set out their vision for the future of their place.
Work inside the former cinema has been well underway with volunteers now revealing that electrical rewiring is now taking place to prepare the building for future growth.
Designs for a new foyer are now almost complete and are going through final safety and security reviews.
Project leaders say that while the external transformation completed in 2024 gave the community a visible sign of progress, rising costs since the pandemic have created new challenges.
Shelley Garnett, director and secretary of The Roxy Collective CIC, said: “As most people are aware, costs have continued to rise significantly since the pandemic. A Borderlands application is a long process and prices have gone up since our initial costings were put together.
“We are managing the budget carefully and responsibly whilst trying to ensure that we are still able to complete everything we hope to achieve.”
Despite the financial pressures, no changes have been made to the original plans and the team said they will continue to monitor costs closely as work progresses.
They added that the community’s ongoing support remains crucial to the project’s success.
“The local community has been key in getting to where we are and we couldn’t be more grateful for their support, both financial and moral,” Ms Garnett said.
“A project like this is a long process and we very much hope that they will continue on this journey with us by attending fundraising events and using the facilities already on offer while the work continues.”
The Roxy’s exterior renovation and new Art Deco branding were completed last year, creating a striking new feature on the A590 through Ulverston.
The refreshed frontage has drawn positive comments locally and is seen as a visible reminder of the progress being made on the restoration project.
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