17 December

Grant increase

Renovation of Ruskington Cemetery Lychgate

Applicant: Ruskington Parish Council

Project description: This project will restore the lychgate at Sleaford Road Cemetery in Ruskington.

Decision: Award grant increase of £3,580 to make a total grant of £16,116 (75%)

18 December

National Lottery Heritage Grants £10,000 to £250,000 

St. Mary's The Mount Church Organ Restoration

Applicant: St. Mary's, The Mount Roman Catholic Church

Project description: To restore the organ at the Grade II listed St. Mary's The Mount Parish Church in Walsall.

Decision: Reject

Rangila: South Asian Queerness and The Black Country (1980–2025)

Applicant: Jaivant Patel Company CIC

Project description: This Wolverhampton-based project will collect the intangible heritage of the South Asian LGBTQ+ community across the West Midlands, via oral history interviews and vox pops, to document and share their experiences and deposit with Birmingham Museum.

Decision: Award grant of £38,035 (95%)

Communities for Nature: Restoring Cambridgeshire's Natural Heritage

Applicant: Cambridgeshire ACRE

Project description: To support parish councils and rural communities in Cambridgeshire to preserve and restore natural heritage through the development of local nature recovery plans, alongside interventions to conserve nature, training and public engagement events.

Decision: Reject

St Mary and the Holy Cross, Alderminster Tower Restoration Project

Applicant: Parochial Church Council of Alderminster

Project description: This project seeks to restore the 13th-century bell tower of the Grade II* listed church of St Mary and the Holy Cross in Alderminster, near Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

Decision: Defer

Time and Memory: Restoring Grandborough's Clock, War Memorial and Churchyard

Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of Grandborough

Project description: This project aims to restore and conserve the clock, war memorial and sections of the churchyard walls of St Peter’s Church, Grandborough, near Rugby, while creating digital interpretations, hosting community events and preserving local stories for future generations.   

Decision: Award grant of £14,300 (31%)

Learning about skills policy development and its impact on real/ordinary lives

Applicant: Higher Opportunities Limited

Project description: This Coalville-based project will research and document the heritage of post-16 educational policies through engagement of three groups of people: in Leicestershire, South Lincolnshire and Bristol.

Decision: Reject

St Matthews Church Overseal Urgent Roof Repairs

Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of Overseal St. Matthew

Project description: This project will replace the roof of the Grade II listed St Matthew’s Church in Overseal, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, enabling it to increase its heritage engagement and community outreach.

Decision: Reject

Exploring industrial and natural heritage in north Nottinghamshire through creative practice

Applicant: Ignite! Futures Ltd.

Project description: The project will engage a group of young people to explore the industrial and natural heritage of Duke's Wood Nature Reserve, a former oilfield and SSSI near Newark in Nottinghamshire, to increase their understanding of local heritage and co-produce a book to share with wider audiences.

Decision: Award grant of £15,000 (100%)

Quinquennial Report Masonry Repairs

Applicant: All Saints Willian Parochial Church Council

Project description: To repair and conserve the external masonry and reinstating the original profiles of tracery and mouldings of the Grade II* listed All Saints Church in Willian, near Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

Decision: Reject

Beyond the Barriers: Developing a fully inclusive cataloguing practice

Applicant: Archives West Midlands

Project description: This Warwick-based project seeks to improve inclusion, access and participation with heritage through the roll-out of more inclusive and accessible terminology in archives across the West Midlands with support from community groups.

Decision: Reject

Without A Face: British African Sailors of The Royal Navy in the Second World War

Applicant: Learning Through The Arts CIC

Project description: This Watford-based project aims to recapture the 'untold' stories of the forgotten African seamen, who served in the Royal Navy as part of the Allied Forces, using photographs and archive materials.

Decision: Reject

South Asians in Leamington Spa (SAILS) Legacy Project

Applicant: Rootz Global CIC

Project description: This project, based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, aims to conduct oral history interviews with South Asian elders and community members, capturing stories of South Asian participation in regional industry and service heritage. Personal artefacts including photographs, letters, and memorabilia would be collected and digitally recorded.

Decision: Reject

Gressenhall 250: More than a Workhouse

Applicant: Norfolk County Council

Project description: To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Grade II listed Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse near Dereham, Norfolk. This will be achieved through the creation of two exhibitions that portray previously unexplored chapters of its history.

Decision: Award grant of £131,916 (92%)

Kettering Museum: Building a Resilient Future

Applicant: North Northamptonshire Council

Project description: To save heritage through the strategic development of the site through three strands: collections development and review, relocation of the collection and master-planning for the future of the museum.

Decision: Defer

R.W.S.P - Restoring Wymondham, St Peter's: Restoring Weatherproofing, Stonemasonry, and Presence

Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of Wymondham, Edmondthorpe and Garthorpe

Project description: To deliver a programme of capital works to the Grade I listed St Peter’s Church, Wymondham, near Melton Mowbray, to remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register, alongside a series of events and activities to engage members of the local community with the church and its heritage.

Decision: Award grant of £249,938 (85%)

Celebration Bournville: A Model for Heritage Regeneration

Applicant: Bournville Village Trust

Project description: This resilience project seeks to enhance organisational sustainability for the Bournville Village Trust, with a feasibility study to develop a long-term delivery plan for managing the Bourneville Village, the Birmingham suburb designed in the Arts and Crafts style in the late 19th century.

Decision: Award grant of £159,200 (69%)

Chancel Roof Refurbishment – St Peter's, Barrowden, Rutland

Applicant: Barrowden and Wakerley PCC

Project description: To undertake a scheme of capital works to refurbish the chancel roof of the Grade-II* listed St Peter’s Church in Barrowden, Rutland.

Decision: Reject

Place in History: Reframing Heritage through the Social Model of Disability

Applicant: Sense, The National Deafblind and Rubella Association

Project description: This project focuses on the hidden histories of disabled people connected to three National Trust properties: Croome, Nostell, and Blickling. It aims to address a gap in how heritage has traditionally been told, bringing more inclusive interpretation through the lens of the social model of disability and centred on co-creation.

Decision: Reject

Church restoration and community engagement

Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of Christ Church Biddulph Moor

Project description: To complete repairs to the guttering of the Grade II* listed Christ Church, Biddulph Moor, near Stoke-on-Trent, host a programme of community and educational outreach, create a digital resource and carry out a biodiversity assessment of the church grounds.

Decision: Award grant of £48,735 (66%)

Improving access to the building and providing safe seating for all participants

Applicant: St Ives Free Church (United Reform) Charity

Project description: To increase accessibility into the Grade II* Listed St Ives Free Church in Cambridgeshire by replacing the current doors and chairs.

Decision: Reject

Wishaw Memorial Hall – Restoration and Repair Plan

Applicant: Wishaw and Moxhull Parish Council

Project description: To restore and improve the Wishaw Memorial Hall, near Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, by repairing the roof, structural stabilisation and damp remediation.

Decision: Reject

Saltisford Arm Visitor Moorings & Bank Stabilisation Project

Applicant: The Saltisford Canal Trust Ltd

Project description: To maintain access to heritage through the restoration of the footpath of the Saltisford Canal arm in Warwick, ensuring it remains open to visitors.

Decision: Reject

St James Welland: Future-Proofing Our Heritage

Applicant: Parochial Church Council Welland

Project description: To deliver building and organ repairs, as well as works to improve energy efficiency to the Grade II listed St James Church in Welland, Worcestershire.

Decision: Award grant of £140,553 (63%)

External Masonry Repairs and Maintenance and Repair of Rainwater Goods

Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of Inkberrow

Project description: To deliver a series of capital repairs to the Grade I listed St Peter’s Church, Inkberrow, Worcestershire, including stonework and replacement of rainwater goods, to the exterior of the church building.

Decision: Reject

Birming-Strong – Our story, our contribution

Applicant: Simmer Down Arts CIC

Project description: To preserve and share the heritage of Birmingham's reggae and urban music scene, following the arrival of the Windrush Generation to North Birmingham in the late 1940s. This will be achieved through capturing oral histories, collecting memorabilia and creating an immersive exhibition that will be shared through events and digital platforms.

Decision: Award grant of £66,641 (100%)

Back To The Barracks. A New Chapter

Applicant: The Barracks Trust Limited

Project description: To replace and restore deteriorated windows to conservation standards in the Grade II listed former army barracks in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and to deliver a community heritage programme.

Decision: Award grant of £136,237 (75%)

19 December

Grant increase

The Oxford Arms – a community pub and hub for all

Applicant:Open Arms Kington (OAK) CIC

Project description: To transform the run-down but locally significant and historical inn, for the benefit of the community. It will re-open with nine hotel bedrooms, pub/café offers, and as a multi-functional venue for a wide range of local social events and activities, including a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Decision: Award grant increase of £58,992 to make a total grant of £151,488. Agree change in grant percentage from 71% to 74%