Alistair Hardaker
mage A design for the Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris)
Royal Court Theatre CEO cites economic climate after National Heritage Lottery Fund rejection, with charitable foundation redirecting funds to other causes.
Plans for the construction of a museum and heritage attraction in Liverpool named after comedian Sir Ken Dodd have been axed after funding shortfalls.
The ‘Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre’ was to be constructed next door to the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, and was set to both exhibit the comedian’s personal collection of artefacts and joke books, alongside broader comedy history, public activities, events and performances.
Gillian Miller, CEO of the Royal Court Theatre, says: “ Since the disappointing setback of failing to achieve a grant from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, we have spent the past eight months trying to find alternative funding to enable this wonderful scheme to proceed.
“Sadly, in the current economic climate, we have been unable to find the additional funding required for the construction of this new building and alternative schemes do not meet requirements.
“We therefore mutually decided along with our donor, the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, to shelve our plans at this time. There simply aren’t sufficient funds available to meet the demands of so many projects like ours at this moment in time.”
Following an unsuccessful application to the National Heritage Lottery Fund in December 2024, the trustees of the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation (KDCF) and the Royal Court Liverpool Trust (RCLT) had been working together to secure alternative funding avenues,.
Both have already invested in the development, design and planning of the project with a pledge from KDCF to cover two thirds of the cost of a new build.
Before he died in 2018, aged 90, Dodd had set up his own charity foundation to support performing arts charities and organisations across the UK, particularly in Merseyside. KDCF is run by trustees including the comic’s wife Anne, Lady Dodd, who leads the foundation.
Anne, Lady Dodd, said: “An iconic museum and heritage attraction where entertainers could rehearse and perform, linked to a permanent exhibition of Ken’s treasured artifacts and joke books, would have been a most fitting tribute to a man who was viewed as a national icon, not just in Liverpool.
“It is a shame, despite the best efforts of the Royal Court Theatre and the Ken Dodd Charitable Foundation, that we could not attract the level of funding necessary to turn our vision into reality. The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre is a fantastic idea. It would have been a wonderful addition to Liverpool’s already extensive and renowned cultural assets.
“We, along with the RCLT, were totally committed to the Happiness Centre project but like so many other people at this time we are feeling the impact of the economic climate.
“There are so many deserving organisations needing financial support and the substantial funds we had set aside for this project will ultimately help other good causes across Merseyside and elsewhere in the UK in the future, in line with our foundation’s mission statement and Ken’s wishes before he died.”
