Member Article

1000th heritage grant for region

The North East has this week been awarded its 1000th grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), taking its overall investment in the region’s heritage to a staggering £160 million. HLF’s investment has funded a cultural renaissance in the North East, from flagship projects like Newcastle’s Discovery Museum and Hartlepool’s Trincomalee, to smaller grants such as the region’s miners’ banner projects that were celebrated at Durham Miners’ Gala earlier this month. The milestone 1000th grant announced today by the Chair of the HLF, Dame Liz Forgan, is £50,000 to Tyne & Wear Museums for a new project at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens to celebrate the work of the visionary British artist L.S. Lowry. The project will explore Lowry’s love affair with the region, explaining his connections with the North East and the work its landscapes and people inspired. Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dame Liz Forgan, said: “Heritage gives us our sense of identity and is one of our greatest assets. This is so apparent in the North East, with its famous landmarks, landscapes and characters that once inspired Lowry and continue to inspire people today. Yet our heritage is fragile, it needs to be cared for or else we risk losing it forever. As we announce our 1000th grant, I’d like to say thank you to every person who has bought a National Lottery ticket in the past 12 years. They have helped us to protect the region’s heritage by funding a cultural renaissance in the region, the like of which has not been seen since the Victorian era.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .