Nine areas in the UK have been announced as the first recipients of the 10-year Heritage Places project
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has today revealed its new Heritage Places initiative, and the first areas in the UK to receive a share of £200m in associated capital.
The initiative will provide areas with funding to “engage communities and develop partnerships which unlock possibilities from the heritage on their doorstep”, it said.
Heritage Places is one of the long-term initiatives The National Lottery Heritage Fund will be introducing as part of its new 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033, to help address the challenges heritage faces and increase the contribution it makes to people and places.
The first nine of 20 Heritage Places across the UK are: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon; County Durham; Glasgow; Leicester; Medway; Neath Port Talbot; North East Lincolnshire; Stoke-on-Trent; and Torbay.
A further 11 Heritage Places will be considered as part of the development of the Heritage Fund’s next three-year delivery plan, making a total of 20.
The Heritage Fund said it will support new projects and collaborations, “helping to address issues such as regeneration, sustainability and employment, “ and encourages “a holistic approach” to “bring heritage, cultural, community and civic organisations together to combine their knowledge, experience, and investment to transform heritage.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “For the last 30 years, the Heritage Fund has invested in heritage making better places for communities to live, work and visit. 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.
“With the 10-year sustained investment offered by Heritage Places, the areas announced today can be sure that we will work with communities and partners to target place-based investment that boosts pride in place, connects communities with heritage, and takes confident strides forward using heritage as the foundation for change.”
