The HLF grant is part of a £2,165,000 project which aims to bring Moor Park back to life with improvements to paths, park furniture and heritage features such as the Observatory.

The project includes the creation of a regional skate park as well as improvements to the tree stock, entrance features, the main car park, the recreation of an ornamental garden and the refurbishment of a stone grotto. The park will also benefit from the creation of an events arena, cricket pitches as well as signage and interpretation.

The funding will provide additional gardeners to ensure the park and lake is maintained to a higher standard once the project is complete.

Councillor Robert Boswell, Cabinet Member for Community and Environment said “This is truly great news for the people of Preston.  We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund have given us this support. We will see the biggest single investment in Moor Park since it was set out in the 1860s and we are very excited to be able to deliver these improvements.”

This grant is part of a wider investment of £34.5million of Lottery money to 13 parks across the UK being announced today by HLF and Big Lottery Fund. This new funding follows the publication of the HLF’s recent report (26 June) which revealed the UK’s public parks are at serious risk of decline unless innovative new ways of funding and maintaining them are found.

Alongside restoration of important historic features including bandstands and gatehouses, and the installation of new community facilities including a skateboard park and children’s play areas, this new funding will also deliver a range of activities designed to help parks across the UK to be more sustainable. At Moor Park the money is helping to develop skills for community volunteers as part of a training programme and activity plan which will see a step change in the number of visitors to the park.

Two decades of public and Lottery investment has ensured that the majority of UK parks are in better condition. However, the State of UK Public Parks 2014: Renaissance to Risk? report has revealed they are now at serious risk of rapid decline and even being sold off and lost to the public forever.

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and the Big Lottery Fund: “Our report revealed how valued public parks are by people and communities and how essential they are to our physical and emotional well-being. That’s why HLF and the Big Lottery fund have invested over £700m in parks since 1996. But the report makes clear that our parks face an uncertain future and so it’s exciting to see how this new investment is going some way towards helping parks like Moor Park find new ways of funding and maintaining them so they are still here to be enjoyed long into the future.”

Notes to editors

• This announcement can be followed on Twitter #parksmatter
• State of UK Public Parks 2014: Renaissance to risk?
  To establish a national picture of the state of UK parks HLF commissioned three new UK-wide surveys: a survey of local authority park managers, a survey of park friends and user groups, and a public opinion survey undertaken by Ipsos MORI. The research has also drawn on other pre-existing data to assess how the condition of parks has changed over time, and to cross-check our results. Details of the report findings can be found at State of UK Public Parks
• The Parks for People programme uses Lottery funds to support the regeneration, conservation and increased enjoyment of public parks and cemeteries. In England the two Lottery Funds have been working in partnership from 2006 to deliver a multi-million pound investment in public parks of £150m. Find out more about how to apply at our Parks for People programme page
• Big Lottery Fund
  The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery. The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in 2004. It has awarded close to £6bn