Efforts to help secure the future of an iconic building in a popular Devon town have been given new life with the addition of a host of new supporters.
Cliff House, in Salcombe – the town dubbed Chelsea-on-Sea by some – offers a spectacular setting for weddings but also houses the town’s yacht club and town council.
The trust that oversees it revealed earlier this year that the property faced a host of major repairs, but that its finances remained “of concern”, and weren’t sufficient enough to cover the work.
But now six new members have joined the Cliff House Trust board, while a new group – the Friends of Cliff House – has also been formed with the aim of preserving the iconic property.
The new members include Mark Goodey, a former mayor of the town and owner of the Winking Prawn restaurant, businessman Mark Toogood, and creative director and photographer Lorna Yabsley.
Simon Linsley, a member of the town’s RNLI, has also joined, alongside Salcombe Town Council members Jasper Evans and Craig Niven.
The Friends’ group intends to fundraise and organise events at Cliff House to help boost support for the property.
“With inspiration from the new trustees, fundraising from the Friends’ group, and renewed support of the community, we are working towards a more secure future for Cliff House,” a spokesperson for the trust said.
“Cliff House is open for business as usual and taking bookings for weddings and events.”
The trust was founded in 1921 by Captain Andrew McIlwraith, with the intention of providing a permanent home for Salcombe Yacht Club and to offer community facilities to Salcombe’s residents, according to the House’s website.
The yacht club has a lease there until 2073, but there had been some uncertainty prior to the expansion of the board about what might happen beyond 2027, at which point the trust had suggested it may need to sell or transfer the building.
Andy Savell, chair of the Cliff House Trust, said in February that publicity for Cliff House’s plight was vital, because the organisation wanted to ensure the treasured property could remain accessible for the community.
In a report prepared for the trust’s annual general meeting in February, concerns about the roof, which “without complete renewal will require frequent attention”, were raised, while other issues outlined included “movement of the retaining walls above Cliff Road, and the continuing deterioration of the tower and those parts of the facade above the first floor which can’t be reached by scaffolding”.
The trust’s finances remained “of concern”, Mr Savell’s chairman report in February stated, noting that cashflow was “only just keeping up with day-to-day expenses”.
“Rental income is, and has been since the trust’s inception, insufficient, and without the endowments sold off many years ago the trust is dependent on income from weddings and bar income to stay solvent,” the statement added.
“We have no reserves to pay for the accumulating dilapidations, now estimated at up to £1m.”
Mr Savell said the voluntary trustees “don’t want the trust to fail and we want to preserve the building as a community resource”.
At the time, Mr Savell added that any wedding bookings would be honoured and that the service offered to guests would not be impacted in any way.
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