National Lottery Heritage Fund awards £43m to boost community skills and restore local landmarks
The funds are aimed at helping communities across the UK connect with their heritage while learning valuable skills.
Key points:
– The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £43.4m to 16 community heritage projects across the UK
– Funded initiatives focus on developing traditional skills, community engagement and preserving local heritage sites
– Projects include a canal skills centre in Scotland, pub restoration in Great Yarmouth and restoration of a historic miners’ welfare hall in Wales
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced a £43.4m ($55.6m) investment across 16 projects focused on preserving local heritage while developing community skills.
These grants, awarded during six March committee meetings, aim to strengthen local heritage organisations and improve inclusion, access and participation in line with the Heritage 2033 strategy.
Among the recipients is Scottish Canals, which has secured £3.7m to establish a traditional skills centre at Lock 16 in Falkirk. The new facility will serve as a hub for training in heritage construction techniques, such as stonemasonry, helping to address the decline in these trades and preserve canal infrastructure.
In Great Yarmouth, £2.4m has been granted to the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust to restore the historic Iron Duke pub. The restoration will be accompanied by a series of community-focused workshops, covering traditional crafts, historic research, food heritage and the arts.
Good to know: Croydon’s Ashburton Park has also received £1.6m to support the development of a new Oasis Youth Hub and community-led local history and environmental initiatives
Meanwhile, in South Wales, a £4.7m grant will enable the restoration of Tylorstown Welfare Hall – the last remaining miners’ welfare hall in Rhondda Cynon Taff. The project aims to revive the building’s role as a community hub while celebrating its social and cultural roots.
This latest funding round follows recent celebrations of the Heritage Fund’s £1bn investment in Scotland over the past 30 years.
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