I agree about badgering HLF, no problem with that and will be sending mine off as a registered letter in the morning as well as email so it can get onto someone's desk instead of their spam filter.
Whilst I totally agree that the project should get some additional support from HLF, and I hate to say this, if I was sat at HLF HQ with more info than we have frankly, and someone says, "£250k to TVOC or to a cancer research charity or some other good cause, ?" What do you think they would do and more to the point what would the majority of tax payers / lottery buyers want if you are objective about it ?
I hope they get what they need, thats 2 things in my book, the cash and the stringing up of Miss Boom Boom Bang Bang and the remainder of the management team, metaphorically. (People would pay to see that!!!)
Forgive my stupidity, but is it beyond possibilities that another hangar could be built on site for less than these ludicrous rental payments ? Why don't we paint the bird white and sell space on it to uncle tom cobbley aka F1 cars and let anyone take out an advert as big or small as they like and get 100 SME donors giving £5k each instead of this barking mad idea that someone will sponsor the delta with £500k.