UPDATE: GSK Task Force reconvenes to start the review of proposals received from the Ulverston community for the £2m GSK donation for an “education, culture, or leisure project that will benefit future generations of the Town”.

The GSK Task Force convened by local MP, Michelle Scrogham, met to start to review the project ideas received from the Ulverston community on how best to use the £2m legacy donation from GSK.  This followed the request last December for ideas from the public for projects that would provide education, culture, or leisure benefits for future generations of the people of Ulverston.

The group were delighted to receive nearly thirty proposals from the community for a wide range of projects. The next step is for the Task Force to meet at GSK Ulverston at the end of February, where each submission will be reviewed in detail and scored using agreed criteria. A short-list will be created at this meeting which will be sent to GSK to allow them to check each proposal meets their governance requirements. The Task Force will then meet again to make their final decisions on the successful project(s) with the aim of having the funding allocated to the successful project by June 2025.

An update was also provided to the Task Force on the next steps for the GSK site, which is currently being marketed, and the support being provided to employees. This support includes facilitating re-training opportunities to help employees acquire new skills for the future and organising career and financial planning events, including a careers fair with the support of local employers. Further offers of support were made by members of the Task Force and these will be followed up by GSK and shared with employees.

Michelle Scrogham, MP for Barrow and Furness, and Chair of the Task Force said:

“The Task Force was clear that it wanted to hear from the people of Ulverston about how to use this generous donation for the benefit of the town.

“Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas. We’ve had a wide range of proposals, and we want to make the process as fair as possible so we will be looking carefully at the ideas and scoring them against criteria that will be agreed by the Task Force and GSK.

“We know that when we make the final decision some groups will be disappointed, but it was important to ask local people for their views, and we need to make sure that this list of projects is used even if they can’t all receive the donation.”

Phil Wilson, GSK Site Director said:

“I am delighted to see the level of community engagement and the wide range of proposals submitted to help the Task Force decide how best to use the £2 million donation from GSK.  With our 75-year proud history and association with Ulverston it is particularly important we leave a lasting legacy for the community, and I look forward to working with the Task Force as we start to review the submissions.”

The Task Force would like to thank everyone who submitted a proposal that will help shape how the donation is spent to benefit the wider Ulverston community. A further update will be shared following the meeting of the Task Force at the end of February and each applicant will receive feedback on their proposal.