All eyes were on the exciting work of The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust’s last week when the Dumfries-based organisation became the focus of three major events attracting attention in London and Japan.
In an exceptional week: the Dumfries Peter Pan Statue flew to Westminster with Patron Joanna Lumley to meet politicians, writers, celebrities and business people in an event hosted by Richard Arkless MP; best-selling children’s writer David Walliams joined Joanna Lumley for a family book event at Cadogan Hall to support the charity, and Moat Brae house and garden were in the spotlight when a leading Japanese TV channel spent an afternoon filming for a new documentary on the story behind the creation of Peter Pan.
The Trust has already raised over £5.3m of the £5.8m needed to restore the Georgian house and gardens at Moat Brae and plans to open an imaginative Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling in 2018 in the place that first inspired the young JM Barrie to write one of the greatest children’s stories of all time.
Last week’s outreach events are part of the wider sustainability work to build partnerships, enlist expertise and develop plans to attract visitors and provide a unique, high-quality programme of events and activities.
Cathy Agnew, The Trust’s Project Director said: “It’s been an exciting and illuminating week – we have spent the past 6 years raising funds and telling the story of Moat Brae and now the project is really beginning to fly. There is something magical about this project that always captures the imagination, but these events have revealed just how much the concept behind the new Centre is not only of interest locally, but has the capacity to engage people of all ages, including highly talented writers and performers and to attract significant national and international interest. As well as bringing the potential of an exciting programme of new opportunities to Moat Brae, it is also raising awareness of the amazing resources that Dumfries and Galloway has to offer”.
The Trust has a further £500,000 to raise before the final phase of capital works begin this Autumn. The partially renovated House and Garden will open for a number of exhibitions and open days over the summer before contractors move in. Further details can be found on their website www.peterpanmoatbrae.org
