27 October 2008
Heritage Lottery Fund support announced for natural heritage across the UK
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has today announced seven earmarked¹ awards totalling £8million made through its Landscape Partnership Scheme. These rural regeneration and landscape conservation schemes highlight the diversity of the UK’s geography and its impact on our culture. The areas which will benefit are:
- Blaenavon, a World Heritage Site, celebrated for South Wales’ role in the 18th and 19th centuries as a leading producer of iron and coal;
- Sefton Coast, Merseyside’s ‘coastal green lung’;
- The South Pennines, part of the backbone that runs the length of northern England;
- Applecross, a remote peninsula in west Scotland reached by a spectacular, alpine-style mountain pass;
- The Isle of Harris, a stunning combination of crystal clear sea and pristine sandy beaches, set against a craggy mountain range;
- The Ochils, a dramatic hill range located in Clackmannanshire;
- The Five Parishes, part of the Sperrins Mountain range in south County Londonderry/Derry.
HLF’s Landscape Partnerships have been running for the past four years and these new awards now bring the total invested to £48million. 29 landscapes across the UK are benefiting, from the remote Orkney archipelago to the cliffs of Dorset's Jurassic Coast. The schemes help forge public and community partnerships, enabling people to tackle the heritage needs of their local landscapes in a practical and effective way.
Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said:
“Our landscapes are as much under threat as other parts of our heritage yet we often take them for granted. This Landscape Partnership Scheme is helping protect some of the UK’s most spectacular scenery by bringing together groups, with a shared passion for supporting the heritage of the surrounding natural environment, to form strong partnerships rather than working in isolation.”
Ray Mears, survival expert and broadcaster, said:
“I grew up loving landscapes - they were the backdrop to my childhood and continue to be an essential part of my everyday life. I’m delighted to hear that such a significant amount of Heritage Lottery Fund money is being invested into protecting so many wonderful natural spaces; what a great way to spend Lottery money!”
Blaenavon blooms
HLF has awarded £1.6million for The Forgotten Landscapes Partnership (led by Torfaen County Borough Council) at Blaenavon’s World Heritage Site. The project links into the promotion of Wales’ role as the world’s first industrial nation as well as helping conserve red grouse, restore historic wetlands, protect archaeological remains and return Welsh mountain ponies to the unique landscape around this former coalfield area.
More oxygen for Merseyside’s ‘coastal green lung’
The Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership Scheme (led by Sefton Council), comprising 80km² of coastal land to the north and south of Southport, is being supported by HLF to the tune of £1.2million. A popular place to visit for those who live in Northern cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Preston, the area is characterized by low-lying coastal stretches and is home to 20% of dunes in England. The project will include improved access and management of the coastline and the re-invigoration of local asparagus farming.
Spine-tingling news for the South Pennines
The South Pennines Watershed Landscape (led by Pennine Prospects, a regeneration partnership) partly runs up through the backbone of northern England, separating the major conurbations of Greater Manchester and East Lancashire to the west and West Yorkshire to the east. Covering 350km², this part of the South Pennines consists of wide sweeping moorlands rich in wet bog, cotton grass, heathland and pastures. The project, which has been awarded £1.97million, is made up of six elements including getting people involved in the area’s history and geology and enhancing key habitats for wildlife, such as the rare ‘Twite’ which is also known locally as the 'Pennine Finch'.
West Scotland’s own rocky mountains
The Applecross Landscape Partnership (led by the Applecross Trust) is being supported with an HLF award of £1.03million. The Penninsula, located opposite the Isle of Skye, is extremely remote and home to its own distinctive heritage with a rugged landscape of mountains, crofting settlements and moorland. The project’s proposals include conserving important buildings such as Clachan Church, restoring drystane (drystone) dykes and promoting both the Gaelic language and its culture to residents and the 200,000 tourists who visit every year.
Hurray for Harris!
Celebrated for its tweed industry, the Isle of Harris is now set to raise its profile as one of the most beautiful landscapes in western Scotland. An HLF award of £622,700 will enable the Isle of Harris Landscape Partnership Scheme (led by Harris Development, a community-based group) to preserve and promote the island’s heritage including traditional skills and historic ceremonies, conserve the native woodland and develop a range of initiatives to tell the important story of the culture of both the island and the Harris Tweed ‘brand’.
Awesome Ochils
The Ochils Landscape Partnership Scheme (led by Clackmannanshire Council) is located in Scotland’s central belt. Covering 113km², the area encompasses mountainous peaks, mills, mines and quarries, as well as the ‘hillfoot’ villages. HLF’s support of £650,800 will help increase access to the hills and wooded glens of the Ochils, improve the quality of its rivers, restore locally significant buildings as well as providing opportunities for the community to tell the story of the area’s cultural, social and industrial heritage.
Serenity in the Sperrins
The Five Parishes Landscape Partnership Scheme is part of the Sperrins Mountain range, considered to be some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular scenery and once described by poet Seamus Heaney as “one of the dream boundaries of my imagination”. Typical of this wild area are white-washed farms and cottages, winding lanes, stone bridges and fords. HLF’s award of £950,000 will help protect the local environment, such as peatland, woodland and hedgerows as well as species like freshwater pearl mussels, crayfish, Irish Hare, corncrake and skylark. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on conserving local buildings and getting more people involved in volunteering.
Notes to Editors
- ¹An earmarked award, or ‘Stage One Pass’ means that money has been earmarked by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the project in question.Competition at this stage is tough, and while a Stage One Pass does not guarantee funding, it is an indication of positive support, and money for the scheme is set aside. The applicant can then progress to Stage Two and submit a further, fully developed application to secure the full award. On occasion, at Stage One, funding will also be awarded towards the development of the scheme.
- HLF’s Landscape Partnerships are helping bring together members of the community as well as local, regional, and national organisations to deliver schemes which benefit some of the UK’s most outstanding landscapes and rural communities. Grants range from £250,000 up to £2million.
- Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4billion across the UK.
- Images available on request.