The money will fix pavilions, bandstands and boathouses and spruce up these tired but important green spaces. An elaborate and unusual water gardens in Great Yarmouth and Belfast’s city cemetery are among the projects that will receive the cash.

HLF’s Chair Sir Peter Luff, on behalf of HLF and the Big Lottery Fund, said: “We love our parks but many of them have been around a long while and are in need of urgent attention. This money will make sure that people can enjoy them properly again, helping to give them a great future.”

Heritage Minister, Tracey Crouch, said: "This investment will breathe new life into each of these 16 historic parks, making them great places for people to enjoy. Britain's famous green spaces are so important for giving people a place to get together, relax and exercise, and have a vital role in strengthening our local communities."

The 16 parks and cemeteries receiving funding today are:

HLF/Big Lottery Fund joint grants in England 

Earmarked funding

• West Smethwick Park, Sandwell £4,830,700
• Victoria Park, Stafford £1,705,100
• Hunstanton Heritage Gardens, West Norfolk £685,400
• Great Yarmouth Venetian Waterways £1,020,800
• Springfield Park, Hackney £3,194,100
• Thompson Park, Burnley £860,100
• London Road Cemetery, Coventry £1,998,000

Confirmed grants

• Chase Park, Gateshead £922,900
• Peel Park, Salford £1,572,800
• Winckley Square Gardens, Preston £942,600
• Northwood Cemetery, Isle of Wight £1,685,100
• Hanley Park, Stoke on Trent £4,579,300

HLF only funded grants

• Belfast Cemetery (earmarked funding) £1,852,800
• Stornoway Castle Grounds £3,903,600
• Dean Castle Country Park, East Ayrshire £3,338,900
• Wrexham Cemetery £1,190,000

Bute Park Opens - a Beaut!

June also sees the opening of Cardiff’s Bute Park following £3.1m of HLF funding. This investment has meant there’s a fabulous new Summerhouse café to help refresh the locals and bring in income, the park’s quirky ‘animal wall’ is back to its former glory and a new education centre has been built from reclaimed bricks. Thanks to National Lottery players’ investment, annual visitor numbers have rocketed to over 2million since the project began and this stunning park now sits within Cardiff’s top attractions on TripAdvisor.

Mike Harper, Chair of the Bute Park Friends Group said: “Bute Park is a jewel in the crown for Cardiff and to see the recent investment into its improvement is hugely welcomed by all the many residents and visitors who enjoy the park day in day out.”