Blackpool Tower Ballroom gets £1.1m refurbishment

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Credit: PA Media

Blackpool Tower’s world-famous ballroom is being prepared to reopen to the public after a £1.1m refurbishment.

Dancers hope to be allowed to step on to the dancefloor on 21 June when the last Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Meanwhile the ballroom has undergone its most extensive work programme and deep-cleaning for more than 60 years.

Highly-skilled craftsmen, who worked on projects including the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, have dedicated more than 21,000 hours over six months.

Project manager Keith Langton said: “It is a project I will never forget and perhaps even a project for me to retire on.

“Everyone wants to end their career on a high, and I don’t think I could get a better high than working at the ballroom.”

The tower’s general manager, Kenny Mew, said he could not wait to reopen.

“This is a once in a lifetime project that I feel incredibly fortunate to have been involved in,” he said.

Each worker has climbed an average of 85 flights of scaffolding every day to restore the ballroom to its original glory.

They discovered newspapers dating back to 1911, old cigarette packs and a walking stick believed to date back to the 1950s during work on angel figures on the ballroom ceiling.

The work on the period plasterwork ceiling was made possible thanks to a £764,000 grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, together with funding from Blackpool Council.

image captionCraftsmen have dedicated more than 21,000 hours over six months Credit – PA Media

Originally published by bbc.co.uk on 12th May 2021. SOURCE

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.

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