News and stories | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

A group of people in high-vis standing around a table converted from an old railway wagon

A behind the scenes tour of the newly renovated Boston Lodge. Credit: Chris Parry.

Stories

How volunteers are powering a historic railway

Boston Lodge shows that investing in people and skills can inspire visitors, boost volunteering and transform heritage.

A group of Trees for Cities volunteers pose for the camera during a tree-planting session

Volunteers planting trees. Photo: Saoirse Clohessy.

Stories

Growing community connections with natural heritage

From curlews to historic mosslands, four projects in the North of England are celebrating local nature and putting people at the heart of plans to protect and restore it.

Children engaging with an interactive museum display

Photo: Jodrell Bank/Andrew Brooks.

Stories

Six tips for making heritage autism-friendly

From museums and galleries to gardens and churches, our funding is helping these projects to make heritage sites more inclusive, accessible and welcoming for everyone.

A view of the facade of the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, opposite a docked tall ship in the Clyde.

Glasgow's Riverside Museum. Credit: Neil Williamson.

Stories

Investment milestone: £1billion for Scottish heritage

Over the past 30 years we’ve supported 5,000 projects, from Orkney to the Borders, helping connect the people of Scotland with their past and build pride in place.

A woman drilling a hole in wood with a power tool

Stories

The project working towards a sustainable and inclusive woodworking sector

Safe and supportive spaces for under-served people to learn new skills could provide a vital boost to a threatened trade.

A group of young people arranging flowers and leaves on a white sheet

The Botanical Young Women of Hounslow project runs arts workshops to engage young people in heritage. Photo: Hounslow Action for Youth.

Stories

The extraordinary 18th-century women inspiring young people to embrace heritage

Hounslow Action for Youth is using the untold stories of Marina Dellap and Catharine MacCartney to help a new generation explore botanical history.

Two visitors use a smart phone to scan a QR code that unlocks additional interpretation and audio guides about the Scottish national collection.

Visitors use a smartphone to access digital guides during their visit. Credit: National Galleries of Scotland.

Stories

Reconnecting Scotland with its national collection

The National Galleries of Scotland has transformed the Scottish galleries in Edinburgh, with the needs of local – and global – audiences at the heart of the project.

Four people stand in front of a train engine and hold a progress pride flag

Joanna Jarvis , Imogen Watmore, Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn and Harvey Barker holding Pride banner in front of HST loco in Great Hall, National Railway Museum, (NRM) York. © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum.

Stories

Mind the gap: uncovering missing stories from railway history

People, Pride and Progress is recording the experiences of LGBTQ+ workers to explore unheard perspectives on railway heritage.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund acknowledgement stamp etched onto a circular glass plaque with a fretwork boarder. The plaque sits in front of a colourful tiled floor and an ironwork grate

Creative acknowledgement at St Mary's, Shrewsbury.

Stories

Spotlight on the winner of our acknowledgement competition

Anthony Willder from the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) speaks about planning acknowledgement at St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury, sharing top tips to inspire other projects.

Two people sitting outside carving wood at woodworking benches

A woodworking workshop at Abney Park.

Stories

Saving heritage: nine ways projects are protecting the past

From restoring historic buildings and threatened habitats to keeping skills and traditions alive, projects we fund are making sure heritage is conserved and cared for, now and in the future.

Two people sit in chairs holding hands with their other hands touching the leaves of a potted plant. Wires run from the plant to pads on the people's wrists. A smiling person in a Sense t-shirt watches.

Taking an inclusive approach to evaluation helps measure a wider range of people’s engagement. Image: Sense.

Stories

Involving disabled people in planning and evaluation makes heritage more inclusive

Sense and the National Trust’s innovative and flexible approach is making sure everyone’s experiences are represented.

A yellow building on a city street with a writing saying Glasgow Zine Library

Stories

Preserving the unique experiences and advice of people from the past

Glasgow Zine Library is not only saving and sharing heritage but supporting the production of it for the future, too.

Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the great outdoors. Photo: Wayfinding project.

Stories

Inclusion, access and participation: eight ways to improve your project’s reach and impact

Find out how projects we’ve funded are finding creative ways to open up heritage, involve audiences and create better opportunities to take part.

A large red brick building with a white tower featuring a clock at the centre of its length.

Stories

30 projects across 30 years

To celebrate our – and the National Lottery’s – birthday, we’re looking back at some of the incredible variety of projects we’ve supported over the years.

An Asian brass band, with musicians and dancers dressed in colourful clothes, walking down a path in front of a stately home

An Indian brass band was part of the celebrations at Wentworth Woodhouse's outdoor family event, WE Wonder, in 2023.

Stories

Turning a stately home into a ‘house of opportunity’

How one project has successfully engaged its community with their local heritage and created benefits beyond just visiting.

Behind the scenes at a film set: three actors act a scene in a living room while a camera films

Behind the scenes of filming A Light That Never Fades. Photo: Paul Robinson, PER Productions.

Stories

Shining a light on Arthur Wharton: the first black professional footballer

Filmmaker Mike Tweddle discusses how a National Lottery grant is helping him share the extraordinary achievements of a black sportsman.

Gopika Jayasree stands beside a digital screen and gives a talk

Gopika Jayasree, who took part in Digital Heroes, talking at an event called Heritage Unleashed – Wider Engagement Through Digital.

Stories

Organisational sustainability: seven ideas for a more resilient heritage sector

Get inspired by projects that are strengthening heritage to be adaptive and financially sustainable, contributing to communities and economies.

Two people of Chinese heritage play a drum in a procession, while people in the background hold placards with photos of Chinese relatives

Ancestral Futures by Eelyn Lee and collaborators, commissioned by Dig Where You Stand. Photo: Anh Do.

Stories

How artists can uncover hidden histories and fill gaps in the archives

South Yorkshire project Dig Where You Stand invited creatives to explore the often overlooked and poorly documented evidence of people from diverse ethnic communities across the area's history.

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