Nov 2005 - Feb 2006

The story so far

Delivering wider social, economic and environmental benefits

Tourism
Heritage attractions play a central role in the UK’s tourism industry, contributing significantly to the £26.5 billion generated by UK residents within the UK and the £11.7 billion generated by overseas visitors. Castles, churches, monuments or historic houses are the top destinations for over two-thirds of UK visitors from emerging economies such as Russia and China. We have funded all of the top free heritage attractions in the UK, eight of the top ten most visited museums, including the British Museum, and six out of the top ten most popular visitor attractions in the UK.

‘Britain’s unique heritage - from our castles and museums to our countryside and historic seaside towns - is at the heart of our tourism industry.’

Tom Wright, Chief Executive, Visit Britain

But the benefits of heritage funding reach much further than the immediate project. British Waterways’ evaluation of the restoration of the Kennet and Avon canal showed that there was a net increase in income to the local economy from tourism of £5 million per year. In Scotland HLF projects have generated around 800 full-time equivalent jobs relating to tourism.

Distinctive places to live and work
High-quality, vibrant high streets with well-maintained buildings not only encourage tourism, but also attract inward investment and raise business confidence. Our townscape programmes have enabled local partnerships between the public and private sector to reverse significant decline in historic towns from St Leonard’s in East Sussex to Glasgow Merchant City. In total, 40% of all HLF funding has gone to the 25% most deprived areas of the UK. The 10% most deprived areas have received £825 million of new investment in the last eleven years, creating around 10,000 person years of employment.

‘If it was just left, most of that community would have disappeared by now and moved out and you’d just have a lot of derelict houses… Now they’re a community, with one or two generations still living there.’

Citizens’ Jury participant, commenting on Blaenafon World Heritage Site, South Wales

Increased well-being
Where we live matters to us – living in a place that is well cared for, distinctive and that we can be proud of contributes to our sense of well-being. Enjoying the natural environment can help to immunise us against the effects of pressure and stress. By supporting parks, wildlife and countryside, improving our towns and cities, and helping people celebrate the stories and traditions associated with where they live, we foster a sense of community and enable people to affirm their identities.

Case study: Chatham Historic Dockyard
Award: £12.8 million
Synopsis: Chatham Dockyard closed in 1984, but following a series of HLF awards it has been revived as a centre for tourism of outstanding heritage importance. It has contributed to the regeneration of the 80-acre site, creating local jobs and ensuring that the most complete example of an 18th-century dockyard in the UK is preserved for the enjoyment of visitors. As a result the site brings an additional £20 million a year to the local economy.

Case study: The Drapers' Towns Townscape Heritage Initiative
Award: £1,200,000
Synopsis: The Northern Irish towns of Draperstown and Moneymore were built by the Drapers' Company in the 17th century. Both towns have distinctive architecture of the period but had suffered from the closure of retail businesses and the dereliction of important historic buildings. The townscape regeneration programme has helped create a stable economic future for these rural towns and included the renovation of key buildings which will offer new retail, residential and office accommodation and community facilities.