Ten thousand projects, large and small, have benefitted from National Lottery money in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

As the eyes of the country turn to the area thanks to the Great Exhibition of the North, it is time to celebrate some of those projects’ recent successes and stories:

• The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre opened in Northumberland National Park as a gateway to the stunning Hadrian’s Wall landscape and dark skies
• Halifax’s Piece Hall, the UK’s only surviving cloth hall, reopened its doors to visitors
• A man called John Priestley went from being homeless to becoming a key player at Manchester’s National Football Museum, in his own words going ‘from zero to hero’.
• Stephenson’s Rocket came home to its birthplace in Newcastle for the first time, it is currently on display at Discovery Museum
• Salmon are set to return to rivers in Leeds and Sheffield while water voles have been successfully reintroduced in Kielder Forest in Northumberland
• The history of astronomy will be in reach with a new discovery centre at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire
• Hull celebrated a successful year as City of Culture, backed by £3m of National Lottery funding.

The Great Exhibition of the North

The Great Exhibition of the North runs from 22 June to 9 September. It is a free celebration of the North of England’s fascinating past, pioneering present and inspiring future. It is supported by £1.7million from the National Lottery

Take a look at our eight great things to do and six amazing objects to see. Share your stories with us on Twitter using #GetNorth2018 and #NationalLottery.