The projects aim to preserve key heritage sites, and will benefit a diverse range of people – from the church community to the locals of Stafford town centre.

History at the Heart of Community

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archives is receiving £3,964,000 for the History at the Heart of Community project in Stafford.

The project will bring together three historic collections from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, the County Museum and the William Salt Library.

The Staffordshire Record Office and the Grade II* Listed William Salt Library are going to be repurposed to house the combined collection. This will be a new attraction in Stafford, connecting visitors to local culture and heritage.

Nene Park: Your Community Greenspace

Nene Park Trust has secured £1,965,000 for its Nene Park: Your Community Greenspace project in Peterborough.

Ferry Meadows Country Park will be the focal point for activities to build bridges with the multicultural communities of Peterborough. These include Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Eastern European communities.

Your Community Greenspace will also work with other groups, such as people with limited physical ability, and people living in areas of high deprivation. Activities will include: 

• sensory guided walks
• craft workshops
• tree planting with the Sikh community 
• world music and food days

Renewing Top Church for the People of Dudley

This project will see the Grade II* Listed St Thomas and St Luke’s Church ‒ known locally as ‘Top Church’ ‒ being repaired and restored.

It is the only surviving building designed by the architect William Brooks of Westminster.

Work will include repairs to masonry and windows. The rare painted glass East Window will also be cleaned and conserved. Dating back to 1821, this is the only known surviving window by the esteemed 18th-century glass painter Joseph Backler.

This investment will help restore and preserve some of the very finest examples of our heritage at projects in Staffordshire, Peterborough and Dudley

Anne Jenkins, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Midlands & East

Restoring and preserving heritage

“It’s a pleasure to announce this £6,453,100 funding for the History at the Heart of Community; Nene Park: Your Community Greenspace; and Renewing Top Church for the People of Dudley projects” said Anne Jenkins, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Midlands & East.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, this investment will help restore and preserve ‒ for today’s and future generations ‒some of the very finest examples of our heritage at projects in Staffordshire, Peterborough and Dudley.”

Funding available

We fund heritage projects large and small, providing grants from £3,000 up to millions of pounds. Take a look at our funding programmes and decide which one might be right for you.