Natural heritage sites to share £15.6m of funding

National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has announced £15.6m of support for 12 projects created to help people experience the benefits of nature at heritage sites across the UK.

The newly funded projects include historic gardens, rural landscapes and urban walking routes. Six organisations have been awarded full funding, while a further six received smaller development grants to help work toward delivering full grants.

Last year, NLHF shared the details of its new 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033, which sees the organisation introducing strategic funding streams, including a landscape and nature-focused initiative, which will be announced later in the year, to support large-scale projects that preserve natural heritage and enhance connectivity for people and wildlife.

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The latest round of financing from NLHF sees Royal Pavillion Estate in Brighton receive the largest grant of £4.4m, focusing on restoring the Grade II listed Royal Pavilion and its Regency period garden. The project seeks to remove the garden from the 'At Risk' Register while preserving its heritage and biodiversity and engaging visitors.

Meanwhile, St Andrews Heritage Museum & Garden will get £630,000 to redevelop its garden spaces, improving accessibility, sustainability, community outreach, and visitor experience.

In Northern Ireland, The Divis 'A View to the Future' project, led by the National Trust, was awarded £2.9m to restore nature and improve access for the communities at the foot of Divis and the Black Mountain, whilst increasing opportunities for community engagement with heritage and nature.

Rural projects were also recognised with Championing National Parks for Everyone granted £557,000 for its Peak District Mosaic, which aims to raise awareness of and improve accessibility to the Peak District, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks among ethnically and culturally diverse communities.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Preserving natural heritage is core to what we do."

She added: “I am thrilled we are announcing support for such a fantastic group of heritage projects that will not only protect our environment but also allow more people to experience the benefits of nature across the UK.

“We look forward to seeing people across the UK enjoying the incredible variety that nature has to offer and ensure that these outstanding natural sites are valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future."

See below for a complete list of awards:

Full funding awards

London Blue Chain, London (Grant – £573,078)

Championing National Parks for Everyone across the Peak District, North York Moors, and Yorkshire Dales (Grant – £557,955)

Divis and the Black Mountain, Northern Ireland (Grant – £2,997,000)

Royal Pavilion Estate, Brighton (Grant – £4,369,755)

St Andrews Heritage Museum & Garden, St Andrews (Grant – £630,688)

Life on the Edge, South Devon (Grant – £2,246,965)

Development funding awards

Wardown Park (Grant – £274,600 towards a delivery grant of £2.5m)

The Clywedog Valley Partnership (Grant – £246,530 towards a delivery grant of £1.2m)

Smestow Valley Local Reserve (Grant – 217,000 towards a delivery grant of £2,098,543)