Topping out ceremony held at £8.6million Campus for Future Living in Mablethorpe

The Campus, being developed by East Lindsey District Council and is under construction by Lindum Group, held a traditional topping out ceremony on Tuesday (October 17) to mark the completion of the roof.

The celebration was attended by Louth and Horncastle MP Victoria Atkins, Lincolnshire County Councillor and East Lindsey District Councillor William Gray, chair of the Connected Coast Town Deal Board Chris Baron, Professor Mark Gussy, Global Professor in Rural Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln, as well as representatives from local, regional and national organisations.

The celebration also saw MP Victoria Atkins lay a brick at the Campus.

Work to the Town Deal funded Campus first started in February this year and will see a main centre and research building created, as well as an accommodation block with en-suite facilities, and is scheduled for completion next year.

Coun William Gray, Political Lead for the Campus for Future Living, said: "The topping out ceremony marks a very important milestone in the construction of the Centre as well as the accommodation block.

"As well as the construction of this important Towns Deal funded facility, the Campus for Future Living is already giving back in many ways to the local community through Lindum's Social Value work, the added benefit a contractor brings to the community.

"So far, this has ranged from using a Lincolnshire workforce, student work placement opportunities, using a local supply chain as well as visits to schools to promote construction as a career and site visits.

"The topping out ceremony has been a great opportunity for the MP and all interested parties to see the fantastic progress since they last visited at the very beginning when the first spade went into the ground and to show what can be achieved through partnership working and collaboration."

Chris Baron, Chair of Connected Coast said: "This is a hugely significant milestone for the Campus for Future Living and one that brings us a step closer to the site being operational.

"The topping out ceremony is the culmination of collaboration, of strong partnership working, and of a shared commitment to bring this aspirational development to Mablethorpe.

"It is fantastic to see a concept idea for the Campus now being brought to life through the building work. We look forward to the further development of the site and the strengthening that comes with partnership and collaboration working.

Victoria Atkins, MP for Louth and Horncastle, said: "It was great to be able to be present and part of the topping out ceremony. This is a culmination of years of hard work from hundreds of people across the public sector, councils and business partners.

"The completion in building the Campus for Future Living marks another step forward as part of the government investment of the nearly £24million in our Mablethorpe Towns Deal. I am looking forward to the future development of the site and what it will bring to the local community."

Lindum Group Managing Director Freddie Chambers said: "It was great to welcome so many guests, including local MP Victoria Atkins, to site to show how well our construction team is progressing."As well as delivering a high quality building, Lindum has been committed to helping create added value for the local community around Mablethorpe.

"Our wider project team has already visited schools in the area to talk to young people about their aspirations for the future and about the many and varied careers in the construction industry. We have more of these events in the pipeline.

"We have also welcomed various community groups to site, which most recently included a group of adults who are supported by Linkage in the town.

"Lindum is looking forward to seeing the impact the CFFL project will have in future years and is proud to have played a part in the legacy this construction project will leave behind."