The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards £43m in grants to 16 community projects

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The National Lottery’s Heritage Fund have invested £43.4m across 16 separate community projects following their six March committee meetings. 

Initially set up in 1994, the Heritage Fund exists to provide financial support using a portion of money generated by the National Lottery to sustain the heritage of the UK through the maintenance of historical buildings, monuments and landscapes.

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The allocation was announced on Wednesday as part of the Fund’s ‘Heritage 2033’ incentive, which aims to support the UK’s heritage sector over the next eight years. 

In a press release posted on their website, the Heritage Fund said: “Heritage isn’t just about things and places, it’s about people. The people who care for, share and use heritage. 

“Many of the 16 projects we’ve recently funded at our six March committee meetings – in an investment totalling £43.4m – are about boosting skills to care for heritage and bringing communities together to share and use it.”

One project which has received a grant is the Scottish Canals, who aim to create a new skills centre in the area of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk.

A total of £3.7m has been allocated for the project in total, a sum which Union Canal Supervisor Billy King says will see a return to traditional skills which have been lost in years gone by. 

He said: “Over the years I’ve carried out emergency works to historic bridges, locks and chambers. There is a real lack of these traditional skills now; over the years, I have seen the decrease first hand. 

“I am hopeful that Lock 16 will help bring a lot of these skills back. I would encourage anyone thinking about training in these skills to give it a go.”

The Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust have also been granted £2.4m to help rejuvenate one of the town’s celebrated pubs ‘The Iron Duke’. 

Not only will the project help rebuild one of the town’s communal institutions, but there is also hope the process will bring great benefits to the town’s population as a whole.

The Trust’s managing director, Darren Barker MBE, said: “Throughout the restoration, there will be a host of events and workshops providing training, volunteering and engagement opportunities for hundreds of people. 

“These will include traditional crafts, food heritage, photography, surveying, historic research and art. The restoration of the Iron Duke has had overwhelming support from the local community and we are so grateful for all the help.”

These are just two examples of the initiatives supported by the Fund following their committee meetings last month. 

Applications for grants operate on a rolling basis and so can be made at any time, though exact timelines may vary depending on the size of the grant requested.