Foxie's Future boost with £1.7m to bid for Foxlease Activity Centre

Foxie's Future was awarded £1.78m from the government's Community Ownership Fund as it works to purchase the at-risk, Forlease Activity Centre in Lyndhurst. 

The 65-acre site, currently owned by Girlguiding UK, is set to be sold off due to cost-cutting measures. 

But now, with extra funding behind it charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) Foxie's Future is hopeful that its bid will be accepted. 

The award is made up of £1.73 million of capital funding and £50k of revenue funding and comes alongside donations from members of the public to help buy the site.

READ MORE: Foxie's Future to submit bid to buy Foxlease Activity Centre

Emma Stevens, Trustee of Foxie’s Future said the extra money is "hugely significant".

"We might have managed to find another way to get the funding, but we were really hoping this would come through.

"A lot of people told us it would be difficult to raise that amount of money in such a short space of time, and that is what the Community Ownership Fund is for, saving something for the community in dire circumstances.

"We're feeling really positive. This puts us in a great position to be the preferred bidder for the site."

The charity is now awaiting a decision on whether its bid will be accepted.

The government funding is part of a £33.5m pot dedicated to saving more than 80 community projects across the UK.

Girls enjoying the facilities at Girlguiding's Foxlease in Lyndhurst (Image: NQ)

Foxie's Future began fundraising in August last year, when Girlguiding confirmed it was selling the site and since then the charity has received more than £1 million in donations.

Hazel Warwick, Chair of Foxie’s Future said: "It helped that we have managed to raise over a million ourselves separately, showing the viability of the plan.

"Another show of confidence at a more local level was a £10,000 grant from New Forest District Council's Community Fund.

"The support from the community has been amazing.

"It started off just being existing users of the site from Guiding, but what is really nice is that more and more people have come on board from outside the movement.

“Developing that community link is something we want to do going forward."

If successful, Foxie's Future plans to expand the use of the centre to the wider community providing a sustainable future.

The charity hopes to provide a further update as the process progresses and said it "will continue fundraising and planning in the meantime to put ourselves in the best possible position to hit the ground running if our bid is accepted."

Other projects in the South-East to recieve funding include The Bell in Hampshire, which will be given £995,000 so it can be bought by the community, repaired and reopened, and the Ashendon pub in Aylesbury, which is being given £300,000 to secure its future.

Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said: “We know how much these vital community assets mean to people across the country.

"They are an important lifeline for people young and old, and they’re the beating heart of our towns, cities and villages."