Pumping station's future now secure thanks to £30,000 donation

The charity relies almost entirely on income from eight visitor weekends a year – four of which have already had to be cancelled.

And with no firm re-opening date its financial situation was ‘dire’.

But local business Lakeside, which is transforming the former Bestwood Pumping Station into a premier wedding venue and restaurant, stepped in with a vital £30,000 donation which has secured its future until next year.

Papplewick Pumping Station chair of the trustees John Britten said: “This amazing donation could not have come at a more vital time for the pumping station.

“We have been trying to read the future of the Covid-19 situation to assess when we will be able to re-open.

“However, planning to survive without income for an indefinite period is challenging.

“This donation means we no longer have to worry about our short term financial future.

“It’s vital the pumping station stays open – it’s one of very few, if not the only, original water pumping stations left working on an original site.”

Papplewick Pumping Station was built in the early 1880s to pump clean drinking water to the city of Nottingham.

It was designed by Thomas Hawksley and operated until 1969, when it was conserved as an award-winning museum.

Hawksley also built nearby Bestwood Pumping Station, which operated from 1874 to 1964.

The listed building off Mansfield Road in Bestwood retains many of the original features and is now being transformed into a premier wedding venue with two restaurants and three bars – set to open late this year under the name Lakeside.

Amy Harrad and Richard Berridge, of Lakeside, said: “We were delighted to be able to step in to save the future of Papplewick Pumping Station.

“We understood the vital importance of ensuring the future of the pumping station, which has a unique place in the community.”