We're raising funds to buy and renovate the lifelong home of the Cumbrian poet Norman Nicholson, who lived in Millom from 1914 to 1987. At the end of January 2023 we celebrated a wonderful achievement, brought about entirely by you, our supporters, when we reached our target of £20,000. That date was the deadline set by the excellent Architectural Heritage Fund when they would match every pound raised up to that £20k maximum - so your donations became worth £40,000 overnight. Thank you to everyone who contributed, and by doing so demonstrated just how much support the project has. There's still a long way to go. This whole project will cost over £500k so we're approaching major funders - but we also wanted to raise money ourselves. Despite hitting our target, the crowdfunder remains open so that anyone who would like to donate can do so, although any donations now won't be matched by the AHF.

Nicholson was a poet with a wonderful appreciation of his locality, and an ability to cut through the nonsense and pinpoint what really matters. We want his house to become not just a worthy tribute to him but also a lively contributor to the Millom area, creating jobs, supporting community initiatives, attracting visitors and increasing revenue.

Find out more about our project