Five projects in Skegness chosen to benefit from £1.2million of Pride in Place funding

The grants come out of the overall £20 million in Government ‘Pride in Place’ funding announced back in 2025, which the town will receive over 10 years.

Announced today, September 9, the five projects have provisionally been awarded after Skegness Neighbourhood Board invited community groups, organisations, and charities to submit expressions of interest.

“All the applications were impartially assessed and appraised by independent experts,” a Board spokesperson said. “Key to the assessment process was understanding how the applications reflected the community priorities which were identified through consultation with local people in 2024 and 2025.

“As a result of the robust review – which also included input from independent technical experts and further Board assessment – this first round of funding has been announced.”

The successful projects are:

• Accessible beach hub - £6,000 has been announced for Beach Ability to set up a new accessible beach hub in Skegness. This will offer free use of beach wheelchairs and a mobile hydraulic hoist so that people with significant mobility challenges can access the beach.

• Digital Support for Everyday Living - £97,760 has been awarded to Lincs Digital for their project which will create a four-year programme of community digital support sessions in Skegness. The programme will provide drop-in and 1:1 support to help residents access essential online public services.

• East Coast Pride - £64,000 has been awarded to East Coast Pride, a hugely popular event that attracts thousands of people, benefitting the town and the local economy. The funding will help to support the ongoing costs of the free event which takes place in September and which is planned to be an annual fixture in Skegness until 2035 at least.

There are also two projects that will see significant investment of around £1million into Tower Gardens.

• Tower Gardens path renewal

The first project will support important work carried out to restore the park’s deteriorating paths.

• Tower Gardens masterplan completion

The second project will deliver the final stage of the Tower Gardens masterplan which will bring significant improvements to the park.

The spokesperson continued: “All of the projects fit with community priorities including a better town centre experience for all, more things to do all year round, better amenities for families and young people, and safety and security.

“The announcement of the Pride in Place funding awards comes after the Board made its first investment in the town earlier this year towards the Pride in Skegness team. The Pride in Skegness operatives - Paul Lucas and Tony Gregory – are working alongside East Lindsey District Council’s (ELDC) Neighbourhoods team. This project is in direct response to consultation which found local people want cleaner, tidier, smarter streets to provide a welcoming and attractive town for all.”

Paul McCooey, Chair, Skegness Neighbourhood Board said: “Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal through our open call process. It is fantastic to be able to make these awards to five projects which the Board is confident will make a significant and positive impact in the town.

“This is just the beginning of making sure the Pride in Place funding works for Skegness, and we are keen to identify more opportunities where this investment can make a difference.

“Pride in Place offers such a huge opportunity for Skegness and I and all my colleagues on the Board are committed to making sure it benefits local people, and leaves a legacy for years to come.”

Coun Steve Kirk, portfolio holder for coastal economy at ELDC, said: “It’s great to see this funding awarded to some fantastic Skegness projects, that will make a real difference to the people who live, work and visit here.

“From transforming our public spaces to helping to make the beach more accessible, supporting large events and the development of vital digital skills, these are exactly the sorts of improvements that people have told us they want to see, and it’s good to see those priorities now being turned into action.

The Board has also announced plans for a £100,000 community grants scheme which will offer awards of up £10,000 designed to meet needs at a grass roots community level. The scheme is being set up to make a difference by providing small grants to support local projects and groups. More details, including how to apply, will be announced this autumn.

In addition, the Board is putting out a call for community groups, community champions, and anyone involved in running a grassroots community project in the town to get in touch by emailing [email protected]