by Lynn Cox
lcox@thekmgroup.co.uk

Tourist sites in Medway have been given an £800,000 cash boost.

The cash is part of a £4.2 million European fund to improve maritime heritage and tourist sites across the continent, and its spending will be co-ordinated by Medway Council.

The Medway tourist sites to benefit are:

• The Guildhall Museum in Rochester, which will get a new high street entrance, a refurbished orientation gallery, new River Medway gallery and a tri-lingual educational resource.
• Upnor Castle, which will get new displays in the north and south towers. Feasibility work on the conversion and re-use of Barrack Block will also be studied.
• Great Lines Heritage Park in Gillingham, will get a floodlight scheme.
• The Historic Dockyard, in Chatham, will see restoration work done on its former internal railway.
• The Lightship Project which is the restoration of an historic lightship, which will be permanently anchored in the River Medway and used as an rts and cultural events venue.

The cash is from the European Regional Development Fund.

Cllr Jane Chitty (Con), Medway Council’s portfolio holder for strategic development and economic growth said: “This is a very exciting time for the tourism team - they have worked very hard to secure the funding."

Bill Ferris, chairman of the Medway Tourism Association, added: “This is great news for Medway as a visitor destination and will lead to some major transformations at key tourist sites.

“We look forward to working with our European colleagues in France, Belgium and The Netherlands.”