£2.5m funding boost for Eden Project Morecambe will help create new visitor zone

A £2.5m cash boost will help create a special visitor experience at Eden Project Morecambe to help humanity shape a better future.

The Eden Project charity has received the money from the Pears Foundation to help support its new visitor attraction on Morecambe Promenade, set to open in 2028.

The funding will specifically support Eden Project Morecambe to create a Habitations Zone inside the Realm of the Sun, one of the attraction's massive dome-shaped structures.

The Habitations Zone will consist of four unique spaces named High Street, Market, Farm and Town Square.

The Eden Project described them as "vibrant, theatrical areas bursting with colour" that will "reflect people's daily lives sharing how local place-based adaptation and world-wide innovation can collide to help us adopt approaches that can positively impact our planet".

They said that using immersive participatory activations, these spaces will explore how we can evolve our way of life to support all living things to thrive, connecting visitors to the Eden Project’s charitable purpose rooted in the natural world and power of connection.

High Street will examine how lifestyle can celebrate our biological and cultural connections to people and place, while Town Square will convene visitors through the theatre of Morecambe’s heritage of music hall, comedy, music and magic, to provoke thought, invite conversation, and the sharing of ideas to help tackle big challenges.

Market will question our wider ideas of exchange, consumerism, wasteful human systems, and the benefits of alternative circular economies in tune with the rhythms of nature.

Farm will look into the future of food and growing in harmony with nature to improve human and planetary health.

The Realm of the Sun has been described as "a bright, tropical landscape of the near future where humans have discovered how to heal and re-engage with the broken rhythms of the natural world around them" and has a 20 metre Elder Tree at its heart.

Concept art of the Elder Tree inside the Realm of the Sun at Eden Project Morecambe. Image: Eden Project

There will also be the 'Realm of the Moon' inside a mussel-shaped structure, which Eden said will be a "dark space bringing to life the extraordinary rhythms of Morecambe Bay and the species that call it home".

The announcement of the funding comes as there has been further activity on site to prepare for the first aspect of Eden Project Morecambe, 'The Bring Me Sunshine Garden'.

An area between the Midland Hotel and the Wishing Well in the Promenade Gardens has been fenced off and workers have been on site this week.

Fencing around the site pictured earlier this month

Eden aims for the Bring Me Sunshine Garden to be finished by spring 2027, and has said construction of the attraction's main structures will begin later this year.

The Pears Foundation also funds the Eden Project’s annual community celebration The Big Lunch.

An Eden Project spokesperson said: "Pears Foundation's support enables Eden Project Morecambe to progress with even greater confidence.

"This key donation helps to create a destination that celebrates the connections between people, nature, and place, while delivering lasting social, environmental, and economic benefits for Morecambe and beyond.

"This latest philanthropic donation follows a period of significant momentum for the project. In summer, a ceremonial celebration marked a key moment for the town and its community on the cusp of transformation, swiftly followed by the opening of the new Eden Project Morecambe Hub, social channels going live, new jobs being announced with critical site preparations getting under way.

"Other key milestones in recent months include planning permission being granted in February 2026, VINCI Buildings appointment as main contractor in April, and in May the project gained national attention at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the award-winning Bring Me Sunshine Garden. In June, a further boost came as £4.5m was raised through the Omaze Million-Pound House Prize Draw, helping secure the project’s striking central exhibit, The Elder Tree.  

"Groundworks to landscape the vibrant new 1.5-acre, free-to-enter community garden will begin soon marking phase one of the development. As Eden Project Morecambe moves towards construction, a continued drive for philanthropic investment will play a crucial role in ensuring the project can deliver the greatest possible impact."

Andy Jasper, CEO of the charity Eden Project, said: “We are so grateful to Pears Foundation for their help and generous support.

Andy Jasper with the 'first spade in the ground' on the day of a Breaking Ground Ceremony held at the Eden site in June

"This milestone £2.5m gift to Eden Project Morecambe will leave a lasting, tangible and transformational legacy for Morecambe, for communities across the North West and the UK.

"We are incredible grateful for this leadership gift and for the Pears Foundation’s ongoing support for our work with communities across the UK through The Big Lunch.

"Their support brings us another important step closer to creating the extraordinary destination we are building in Morecambe. It will bring people together, connect them with the natural world and create new opportunities for future generations to come.”

Sir Trevor Pears, philanthropist and chair of Pears Foundation said: “At Pears Foundation, we have always believed in the importance of places that bring people together and help build stronger communities.

"Eden Project Morecambe is a bold and ambitious investment in Morecambe and its people, creating new opportunities while building on the town’s identity and strengths.

"We’re particularly pleased that our support will help create the Habitations – spaces designed to encourage conversation, participation and exploration of some of the challenges we face.

"We’ve seen through our long partnership with Eden what can happen when people are given opportunities to get involved, and we’re proud to be supporting this remarkable next chapter for Eden and Morecambe.”

How the Eden Project Morecambe could look. Image: Eden Project

Eden Project Morecambe aims to transform the central promenade into a vibrant, year-round destination, featuring striking shell-inspired structures housing immersive environments exploring humanity’s relationship with the natural world. 

Eden said that funding was secured to commence construction of Eden Project Morecambe, thanks to a combination of £50m investment from the UK Government, charitable donations and loan funding.

They said that while the build phase is funded, fundraising will now re-focus on the enrichment of the horticultural landscapes, exhibitions, learning spaces, and visitor experiences.

More opportunities for individuals, businesses, and charitable funders to support the project as it evolves are yet to be announced.

Once complete, the project is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, supporting more than 1,000 jobs across construction and the wider regional economy, delivering long-term economic, educational and wellbeing benefits. 

Eden Project Morecambe is being delivered by the Eden Project – the globally recognised educational charity, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year - working in partnership with Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and Lancaster University, with the support of UK Government investment.  

Pears Foundation is an independent, British family foundation driven by a desire to demonstrate the good that philanthropy can achieve in the world. It is the philanthropic foundation of the Pears family, who have given over £500m to charity since the Foundation was established.

The Eden Project is an education charity that inspires wonder, hope and positive action for the planet by reconnecting people with the natural world. The charity’s work is being celebrated this year through the 25th‑anniversary of the Eden Project in Cornwall, which has generated £6.8bn in total economic impact to the South West since opening in 2001.

Read more: Eden Project Morecambe Hub set to open as start of work on site draws closer - Beyond Radio