Work began in January 2010

The vision for Phase 3 of the Beacon Project, to refurbish all the community space in the building, demanded a great leap of faith. As a Grade II listed building there were many restrictions and architectural considerations, but the Church Council decided to give the go ahead to apply to the Communtiy Buildings Big Lottery Fund for the maximum grant of £500K. We were successful in Februatry 2008 in getting through Stage 1 and were invited to submit a Stage 2 application, which needed to be completed by September 2008. The lottery awarded us the full Development Grant of £25K to assist us in the preparation of the architectural plans, surveys, capital project delivery plan and business plan. We have also been successful in receiving a grant of £10K from Merseyside Expanding Horizons to cover the cost of some community consultation and business planning. This enabled us to employ Social Regeneration Consultants to assist us in creating the Business Plan.

Housing Market Renewal Initiative for South Sefton identified Linacre Mission as:

“an important community building, not only in terms of the range of activities it facilitates,

but also in its latent capacity to expand. The building has been identified as an

important land mark within the heart of the Linacre Village and is a ‘listed building’.

In view of its importance, the council will encourage high quality interior and exterior

improvements to maximise its capacity and use as a community focus.”

All funding for this phase, costing £875K, was secured by November 2009 and Paul Smith & Co contractors were appointed and began work on 11th January 2010.

Phase 3 has provided:

A main platform lift to the Games Hall level and then up to the Albert Walker Hall
A platform lift down four steps into the youth area
A new set of toilets and foyer area on the first floor
Total refubishment of the Seaforth meeting Room, youth lounge and Child & Family Connect Office
A massive refurbishment of the Games Hall, exposing the original beams and lantern roof
Renovation of 3 staircases
Windows in Games Hall and Seaforth Meeting Room have been reglazed and wire grills replaced with polycarbonate sheeting.
All areas have new heating and lighting and a fire alarm system is now installed

All rooms have been renamed with local Dock names as this was one of the historical reasons that the Mission was first built.

We are delighted with the amazing work that Paul Smith & Co have delivered for us and cannot thank them enough for the way they cared for the building and all the people using it. Their cooperation and committment to excellence made a 9 month operation a wonderful experience of team work.