Land gifted to build new seaside home for Bradley Lowery charity
A COUNCIL is to gift a parcel of land to the Bradley Lowery Foundation to allow it to build a holiday home for the use of families with children with life-threatening conditions.
The foundation was set up in memory of six-year-old Bradley Lowery who died from the cancer neuroblastoma in July 2017.
One of the last holidays which he and his family had together was in Scarborough, when the idea formed to build a property for use by other children and their families facing similar challenges.
Scarborough Borough Council’s cabinet will meet on Tuesday to grant the long lease of land to the south of Scalby Manor at “nil value” to the foundation.
A report, to be discussed by councillors, revealed the foundation had contacted the authority to inquire about land that could be leased for the property, which will be built over two storeys and include five bedrooms along with a sensory garden.
The land earmarked for the holiday home is currently used for grazing. Its leasehold value is about £15,000 but lies outside the permitted development limits, meaning it was unlikely to ever to have another scheme approved.
The council report adds: “As a small family-based charity, the foundation will be relying on significant fundraising to bring this project to fruition.
“The council has the ability to use its land to improve the wellbeing of those families assisted by the foundation, by bringing them to the borough to enjoy a stateof-the-art facility within exceptional surroundings, during periods of serious illness, whilst also promoting the borough’s tourist economy. It is therefore proposed that a long lease at nil value is granted.”
Bradley’s mother, Gemma Lowery, has previously said the town holds a special place in her heart as the location where Bradley had his last holiday. The youngster, who was a staunch Sunderland Association Football Club fan, caught the media spotlight when he was befriended by former striker Jermain Defoe.