National Lottery Dedicates £200M Funding for Heritage Places

The National Lottery Heritage Fund helps distribute funding from the UK National Lottery, supporting different heritage processes across the country. On Sunday, the Heritage Fund revealed that it will provide vital support for 20 long-term projects under its new Heritage Places initiative. Overall, some £200 million ($243.6 million) is expected to benefit the transformation of landscapes, towns and cities through 2033.

The first nine places that will benefit from the funding include Glasgow, County Durham, Leicester, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Neath Port Talbot, Medway, North-East Lincolnshire, Torbay as well as Stoke-on-Trent. According to the Heritage Fund, a further 11 locations are expected to be announced within its upcoming three-year development plan.

The Heritage Places initiative is a part of the ambitious Heritage 2033 strategy that was introduced back in March this year. According to the Heritage fund, this initiative “is part of our long-term vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”

To determine the locations that will benefit from the vital funding, the Heritage Places initiative used an evidence-based approach. Additionally, the initiative leveraged “new quantitative research with local insights” to help with the identification of locations that can benefit from heritage funding.

“We’re forging long-term partnerships with towns and cities across the UK as part of a 10-year journey to help places thrive by unlocking the potential of their heritage,“

reveals a statement released by the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Preserving Heritage Is Important

Torbay is among the announced locations that will benefit from the new Heritage Places initiative. Martin Thomas, Torbay Culture’s executive director, praised the importance of this strategic collaboration. He explained that by collaborating with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the region will support its local heritage.

“For the last 30 years, the Heritage Fund has invested in heritage making better places for communities to live, work and visit.“

Eilish McGuinness, chief executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Eilish McGuinness, the Heritage Fund’s chief executive, added that over the last three decades, the fund helped invest in the heritage of different regions across the country. “Our Heritage Places builds on this and is designed to support in challenging times, to achieve even greater impact, and commits our funding for the long-term,” she added. Finally, McGuinness spoke about the important role in preserving culture, history and architecture for communities.