England, North: delegated decisions September 2025
11 September
Heritage 2033 Delivery Round Applications
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Redevelopment
Applicant: Sunderland City Council
Project Description: This is a transformative investment in Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to restore its historic fabric, reimagine its exhibitions and facilities and create an inclusive, welcoming space that reflects the city’s diverse communities and supports its regeneration.
Decision: Award Delivery grant of £5,200,575 (39%)
Heritage, Creativity & Community in the Heart of Alnwick
Applicant: The Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery
Project Description: Relocating Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery to the historic Northumberland Hall will unlock its full potential by providing more space, visibility and opportunity, securing the future of a vital heritage building while transforming Alnwick’s town centre with a prominent, accessible cultural hub that supports local communities, artists and the visitor economy.
Decision: Award Delivery grant of £4,311,674 (68%)
Heritage 2033 Development Round Applications
St. Michael-in-the-Hamlet: Preserving history, enhancing environment and creating community in Liverpool
Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Michael in the Hamlet with St Andrew
Project Description: This is an opportunity to secure the future of St Michael’s Church by addressing urgent repairs to its unique historic fabric, while uncovering and sharing its overlooked social heritage, enabling the building to become a safer, more inclusive, and resilient space for community, education and cultural events.
Decision: Award Development round grant of £35,109 (35% of total eligible development costs) with the potential delivery grant of £1,653,543 (87% of total eligible delivery costs)
Reimagining Our Landscape
Applicant: Harewood House Trust Limited
Project Description: Transforming the Bakehouse into an inclusive Visitor Centre and restoring Harewood’s historic landscape will unlock access to its heritage, improve visitor experience, and secure the Trust’s long-term sustainability by reconnecting people with place through bold, future-facing investment.
Decision: Reject
Buile Hill Park: The Green Heart of Salford
Applicant: Salford City Council
Project Description: Restoring Buile Hill Park’s historic landscape alongside the newly refurbished Mansion will reconnect heritage, community and nature, transforming the park into a vibrant civic and cultural destination that reflects Salford’s ambitions for inclusive regeneration, environmental sustainability and pride of place.
Decision: Award Development grant of £305,564 (88% of total eligible development costs) with a potential delivery grant of £3,882,010 (82% of total eligible delivery costs)
Housesteads Roman Fort: Shared Horizons
Applicant: The English Heritage Trust
Project Description: As Britain’s most complete Roman fort in a natural setting, Housesteads deserves investment that will protect its internationally significant heritage, unlock its stories for a wider range of people, and ensure it remains accessible, resilient and relevant for generations to come.
Decision: Award Development round grant of £286,624 (57% of total eligible development costs) with the potential delivery grant of £1,692,506 (34% of total eligible delivery costs)
Tyne Theatre and Opera House: Restoration through Community Engagement
Applicant: Tyne Theatre and Opera House Preservation Trust
Project Description: The Tyne Theatre & Opera House, a Grade I listed building of international significance with rare historic features, will be restored and made accessible through a project that both conserves its unique heritage and creates a sustainable, intimate and affordable community hub for the 21st century.
Decision: Reject
Treasures of Blanchland: conserving and sharing our medieval Abbey village
Applicant: Lord Crewe's Charity
Project Description: The Treasures of Blanchland project will repair and conserve the Abbey, safeguard its treasures, improve access and strengthen the village’s heritage, economy and community for the future.
Decision: Award Development round grant of £235,027 (84% of total eligible development costs) with the potential delivery grant of £1,347,226 (73% of total eligible delivery costs)
Nature Recovery Rotherham
Applicant: Sheffield Wildlife Trust
Project Description: The Nature Recovery Rotherham project will restore and connect vital habitats cross the Rother and Don Valleys, improve water quality and natural flood resilience, empower local communities – particularly underserved groups and young people – to lead lasting action for nature.
Decision: Reject
The Beverley Minster Destinations Project
Applicant: The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St. John and St. Martin, Beverley
Project Description: The project will undertake capital works to secure the fabric of the east end of Beverley Minster, including the repair and conservation of the roof and Great East Window, while creating a new plant-rich biodiverse community garden, enhancing visitor engagement and providing training and skills opportunities.
Decision: Award Development round grant of £244,203 (64% of total eligible development costs) with the potential delivery grant of £4,088,992 (66% of total eligible delivery costs)
17 September
National Lottery Heritage Grants £10,000 to £250,000
HEART: Heritage, Environment and Resilience Together
Applicant: The Lake District Foundation
Project description: To deliver short and long-term climate action to protect the Lake District World Heritage Site from climate change-induced risks and damage, involving the local community, landowners and other active groups with shared goals.
Decision: Award grant of £205,564 (100%)
REVERB: Echoes of Barrow in Furness Music Scenes
Applicant: Octopus Collective Ltd
Project description: To share and celebrate Barrow-in-Furness’ grass roots pop music heritage by collecting materials securing participation from key stakeholders and active community members, to attract and inspire new and younger audiences.
Decision: Award grant of £11,000 (96%)
Writing on the Wall: 25 Years of Creating Change Through the Power of Words
Applicant: Writing on the Wall Limited
Project description: To focus on conserving Writing on the Wall’s 25-year archive, deliver a community engagement programme and conduct a feasibility study for the long-term preservation of the collection.
Decision: Award grant of £198,196 (90%)
The New Norse Stars
Applicant: Windermere Science Festivals CIC
Project description: To revive interest in Viking Heritage in Furness through learning events and activities with young people in the area.
Decision: Award grant of £30,872 (95%)
Dancing Threads
Applicant: Global Grooves
Project description: To protect and secure the future of traditional dance and textile practices in Morris, South Asian and carnival and procession cultures, with performance and workshops, and supporting the community to become custodians of these practices.
Decision: Award grant of £72,812 (46%)
A Century of Memories
Applicant: Rotherham United Community Trust
Project description: To gather memories of those involved with the club over the past 100 years through creation of memorabilia and activities, aiming to engage and connect a diverse range of community members.
Decision: Award grant of £100,600 (95%)
The Big K: The Pit That Shaped a Community
Applicant: One to One Development Trust
Project description: To produce a film capturing the stories and voices of those affected by The Big K, the UK’s last deep coal mine, and sharing the film through interactive public screenings.
Decision: Award grant of £15,140 (100%)
The Gresley 150 Experience: Celebrating Engineering and Innovation in Doncaster
Applicant: The Gresley Society Trust
Project description: To commemorate the 150th birthday of Sir Nigel Gresley in 2026 by sharing the story of his life, works and legacy through The Gresley Society’s and partnering organisations’ records and artefacts.
Decision: Award grant of £16,700 (97%)
Thriving with the seasons
Applicant: Reconnection to Wellness CIC
Project description: To deliver 67 workshops which will help reconnect Blackburn and Darwen residents with seasonal and sustainable living practices, food growing and rituals.
Decision: Award grant of £46,846 (99%)
Unheard Leeds: Social Histories Connected
Applicant: Fall into Place Theatre
Project description: To produce an oral history archive of significant but under-shared social heritage of older LGBTQ+ people, people seeking asylum and women who are unpaid carers and parents in Leeds.
Decision: Award grant of £24,097 (51%)
Northumberland Coast Dark Skies: Conserving and connecting the nocturnal heritage of the Northumberland Coast National Landscape
Applicant: Northumberland County Council
Project description: To protect Northumberland Coast’s dark skies by improving control of light pollution, protecting and supporting nocturnal species and engage the community to support the area’s conservation.
Decision: Award grant of £227,247 (80%)
North East Disability History: Past, Present and Future
Applicant: Difference
Project description: To celebrate disability history in line with the 30th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act by building from previous projects, producing new material from people’s stories, and sharing in accessible spaces.
Decision: Award grant of £108,963 (100%)
MUTTON: Young People Reclaiming Local Heritage
Applicant: Brave Words CIC
Project description: To convey parallels in poverty in Leeds in the present and the 1800s through theatre, while involving young people in research and performance, and engaging adults in heritage and storytelling workshops.
Decision: Award grant of £15,249 (29%)
Standing Firm in Power and Pride: Black History Month 2025 Celebration
Applicant: Holding-Hands (North East) Community Interest Company
Project description: To explore and share African and Caribbean heritage and its evolution in the North East and wider UK through oral history recording, youth-led workshops, culture showcases, discussions and exhibition.
Decision: Award grant of £10,750 (100%)
Rothbury Estate: for nature and the nation
Applicant: Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts
Project description: To protect and enhance the Rothbury Estate into a key natural and cultural heritage location through stakeholder research and engagement, co-created land management and initiating the creation of a 40-mile nature corridor.
Decision: Award grant of £249,914 (74%)
Mackem Musical Memories: the history of Sunderland Music City
Applicant: Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust
Project description: To collate Sunderland’s music heritage through its participants, producing research and an exhibition to celebrate this in line with the city’s recent achievement of International Music City Status.
Decision: Reject
Northern Force
Applicant: Sale Sharks Foundation
Project description: To engage 600 young people and 200 older people with rugby heritage, and create a podcast with winning club players as an enduring digital legacy.
Decision: Award grant of £143,810 (100%)
60 Years of Music: the story of Leeds Conservatoire
Applicant: Leeds Conservatoire
Project description: To celebrate Leeds Conservatoire’s 60th anniversary with a three-year project which will historicise the club's activities in the narrative of Leeds’s music history and generate archival material to cement this.
Decision: Award grant of £116,460 (100%)
Kaleidoscope
Applicant: Northern School Of Contemporary Dance
Project description: To celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary by sharing the stories of the diverse community members who made it, by collecting living memories from the community and building them into community events and performances.
Decision: Award grant of £247,159 (98%)
Ringing Through Time: Restoring the historic legacy of the Church of Our Lady
Applicant: Delaval Parochial Church Council
Project description: To repair the 900-year-old church building and deliver targeted activities to new audiences, while sharing the building’s history and continuing to be a resource for the community.
Decision: Award grant of £245,215 (85%)
The Visiting Stitch
Applicant: We Matter CIC
Project description: To help South Asian women feel prouder of their heritage through traditional handicraft workshops and promoting practices of reuse and repair.
Decision: Reject
Know Your City
Applicant: Bradford Mechanics Institute Library
Project description: To complete internal refurbishment of the library and deliver events and activities which celebrate the role of the Institute and its people in Bradford.
Decision: Award grant of £120,354 (100%)
Burnley Empire's New Chapter: Preserving Space To Create A Future
Applicant: Burnley Empire Trust
Project description: To save the Burnley Empire Building, share its history and develop it into a valuable space for the community by understanding and delivering for their needs, whilst collaborating with local organisations to deliver community events in the space.
Decision: Award grant of £198,013 (100%)
Polka Dots and Pots CIC
Applicant: Polka Dots and Pots CIC
Project description: To protect ceramic painting heritage in Liverpool by creating a drop-in space where people can practice ceramic painting as a fun and wellbeing activity, engaging local children and older adults.
Decision: Reject
Preserving the Palaeolithic of Wirral
Applicant: Prehistoric Wirral
Project description: To analyse and catalogue a collection of prehistoric artefacts before adding them to a collection of Wirral’s prehistory, for study and exhibition.
Decision: Reject
Mbunda Heritage: Our Stories, Our Strength
Applicant: Bonkuin CIC
Project description: To preserve and celebrate African heritage in Manchester by supporting oral history skills and fostering cultural sharing between different African nationalities and generations.
Decision: Reject
Cycling Through Time: Manchester's Cycling Heritage in the 1800s
Applicant: MAXTRAX CIC
Project description: To collate Openshaw’s cycling heritage in a range of formats and share with the community, whilst encouraging people to cycle as a lower-carbon travel option by sharing the best local routes.
Decision: Reject
The resurrection of Princes Road Jewish Synagogue as a culturalheritage icon for the City of Liverpool
Applicant: Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation
Project description: To increase visitors to the Princess Road Synagogue by improving and modernising its facilities and accessibility, developing a Jewish train through Liverpool including the Synagogue, and creating a Mediterranean garden, ultimately aiming to boost the Synagogue’s status as a heritage asset to Liverpool.
Decision: Reject
Nature Nurtures: A Greenhouse Heritage Project
Applicant: Park View School
Project description: To support young people with complex needs through accessible nature-based learning.
Decision: Reject
Championing, Preserving and Celebrating Cumbria's Racially Diverse Heritage and History
Applicant: Awaz (Cumbria) CIC
Project description: To lead an interactive community project which reveals and celebrates the diverse heritage of Cumbria by showcasing important figures in the area’s history from the Global Majority.
Decision: Reject
From Pit Floor to Dance Floor
Applicant: North East Dance Community Interest Company
Project description: To reconnect Sunderland communities with the area’s mining, shipbuilding, and manufacturing heritage through dance, storytelling, and heritage activities.
Decision: Reject
The K4 Vermillion Giant
Applicant: Whitley Bay Big Local
Project description: To refurbish the kiosk of the Vermillion Giant phone service box in Whitley Bay, involving a local creative youth group and ensure it is recognised as a significant piece of history.
Decision: Reject
Where the Wildlings Flourish: Outdoor Play and Learn Sessions
Applicant: Freedom to Flourish CIC
Project description: To connect local families with Merseyside’s natural heritage through nature-based learning, promoting wellbeing and aiming to reduce antisocial behaviour in an affected local greenspace.
Decision: Reject
Bringing the Past to Life: Exploring Identity, Culture and History in the Modern World
Applicant: Davren: Community Solutions C.I.C.
Project description: To revive and foster pride in Roma heritage by helping Roma people to improve their language through classes, Roma dictionaries and the production of a documentary film and a celebratory festival.
Decision: Reject
Moss Side Story: The West Indian Sports and Social Club
Applicant: West Indian Sports and Social Club and Community Centre
Project description: To explore and collate the history of the West Indian Sports and Social Club and Community Centre, engaging young people from a local education trust to curate a collection of memorabilia which will be built into a documentary film and followed with a celebratory event.
Decision: Reject
Queerspectives: Redefining Relationships between LGBTQIA+ Communities and Institutional Archives
Applicant: Cinema Nation C.I.C.
Project description: To hold community Queer heritage film screenings, archive visits, walks and conversations to help empower members of Liverpool’s LGBTQIA+ community to become more involved local film heritage.
Decision: Reject
Sticks to Sculptures: How Willow Connects Our Communities
Applicant: Burscough Community Farm CIC
Project description: To grow and harvest willow for weaving, art and sculpture, and produce an online and in-person exhibition to share the history of willow in Ormskirk.
Decision: Reject
Hamilton Square 200: Connecting Heritage, People and Place
Applicant: Make LCR CIC
Project description: To celebrate the 200th anniversary of The Hamilton Square Conservation Area through events and exhibitions involving local business and the community in the sites care.
Decision: Reject
Bradford Roots and Global Routes (BRGR)
Applicant: All Star Ents Ltd
Project description: To get young people in Bradford involved with Bradford’s musical and creative heritage by supporting them to create and produce their own exhibition and performance.
Decision: Reject
Help Us Preserve Our Heritage and Keep It Warm
Applicant: Gorton Evangelical Church
Project description: To renovate the church building and improve its facilities, making it more inviting to the community to visit and participate in their other projects.
Decision: Reject
Silloth Airfield Project
Applicant: Silloth Tourism Action Group
Project description: To install information boards on the Silloth Military Trail and install a World War 2 Pickett Hamilton Fort in one of the trail locations.
Decision: Reject
Miners of West Wylam
Applicant: Friends of Eastwoods Park
Project description: To research miners killed in the West Wylam Colliery and create a memorial to them in the local park.
Decision: Reject