Heritage and exhibition specialists at Focus Consultants are
part of the team restoring the only surviving ship from the World War One
Gallipoli campaign so that it can be opened up to the public.
HMS M.33 is one of Britain’s three surviving Royal Navy
First World War warships and is currently in a dry dock in Portsmouth Historic
Dockyard, next to HMS Victory.
With the help of Focus, the restoration project secured
almost £1.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and now work has begun
to bring the ship back to former glory and allow the public to tour her in
2015, in time for the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign she took part
in.
Focus, which has its headquarters in Nottingham and branches
in London, Leicester, and in Boston and Aubourn in Lincolnshire, has been
appointed as cost consultant and CDM (construction, design and management) coordinator
for the scheme.
“This is the latest in a number of schemes that Focus is
currently involved in around Portsmouth Historic Dockyard,” said Focus
Associate Eleanor Clarke. “Working with Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust
and the International Boatbuilding Training College, we are project manager and
quantity surveyor on a development to restore and refurbish Boathouse 4 and create
a new £5.5 million Boatbuilding and Heritage Skills Training Centre.
“We are delighted to have now been appointed on another
scheme in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. This project will bring HMS M.33 back
to life and will enable visitors to go aboard this historic warship for the
first time and explore the stories of those who fought on board.”
M.33 - a floating gun platform built
with the sole aim of hammering targets ashore – became surplus to requirements
in the 1980s and was bought by Hampshire County Council in 1990. For nearly 20
years, the gunship has been slowly undergoing restoration work.
But now the project is stepping up a gear with a £2.4m
restoration which is being paid for by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and a
Hampshire County Council grant to the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
Since its creation in 1994, Focus has helped to secure more
than £925 million of grant assistance for a range of projects and businesses
across the UK and delivered more than £1.0 billion worth of projects and
programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the
country.
It has worked on a range of high-profile projects in the
arts, heritage and tourism sector, including some of the major museums across
the UK, and important historical and ecclesiastical sites.
For more information about Focus Consultants visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
