Landscapes, parks and nature | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

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People landscaping in a Japanese garden in Scotland, with a mountain in the background.

Landscaping in the Japanese Garden at Cowden, Scotland. Credit: Devlin Photo Ltd.

Looking after nature and helping people to understand its importance has never been more vital.

Since 1994 we have awarded over £2.1billion of National Lottery and other funding to more than 4,900 land, nature and biodiversity projects across the UK.

Protecting the environment is one of our four Heritage 2033 investment principles. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.

We are prioritising landscape and nature projects that:

support nature’s recovery
deliver nature-based solutions to address climate change
reconnect people to landscapes, marine environments and nature

The climate crisis

The heritage sector has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change. Find out more about what we're doing to tackle the climate crisis.

What we expect from projects we fund

We want all kinds of heritage project, large and small, to:

limit any potential damage on the environment
make a positive impact on the environment and particularly for nature

Read our environmental sustainability guidance.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants funding programme is open, providing grants from £10,000 up to £10million.

Explore our available funding

Find out more

Discover what projects we fund, and what you could do with our investment to help protect our natural world.

A child holds a butterfly while a guide smiles at him

We support projects that conserve and enhance habitats and protect and preserve the UK's precious species.

Romney Marsh

We expect successful projects to show how they will address the key challenges faced by the UK's landscapes and nature.

Green roof of cafe

Public parks are facing a severe reduction in funding from local authorities. This is how we can help your parks and urban green spaces.

Landscapes, parks and nature

The UK is world renowned for its wealth of historic designed parks, gardens and cemeteries. Here's how our funding can help look after them.

A person walks on a path under trees and next to a lake in summer

Improving access to parks and green space.

News

Two awards for a programme putting nature at the heart of thriving urban places

The Future Parks Accelerator programme, a joint initiative with the National Trust, has won Social Project of the Year and the prestigious Overall Project of the Year Award.

21/11/2023

Three people are looking at worksheets and smiling.

Participants at the residential event in June 2023, as part of Heritage Trade Up.

Stories

Five tips for more robust and innovative heritage organisations

Hear from the organisations who took part in our Business Support and Enterprise campaign about how they improved organisational resilience in challenging times.

Three people sit on the edge of a loch in Scotland, with a boat in the background and the award in front of them

Danny Renton (left) and members of the Seawilding team with their National Lottery Award.

Projects

Seawilding – restoring native oysters and seagrass in Loch Craignish

The UK’s first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project is aiming to restore lost biodiversity to the Scottish coastline.

05/03/2020

A flying bat in the roof space of a church

A Natterer's bat flying inside the roof of St Lawrence church, Radstone. Credit: Chris Damant, Bernwood Ecology.

Stories

All creatures great and small: helping church communities care for their bats

The Bats in Churches project helped over 100 ancient churches in England with their resident bats, bringing communities together and learning more about our threatened bat species.

Group of people wearing hard hats in a courtyard of historic building, Alice Billings House in Stratford

Alice Billings House. Includes Newham’s Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, Taryn Nixon and Selina Papa from the Heritage Fund, Creative Land Trust and Purcell’s team.

News

£800,000 funding awarded to support Newham’s heritage

From restoring an 1880s playhouse to creating a cycling heritage trail, projects across Newham will celebrate its diverse community heritage and create pride in place.

25/10/2023

Forest Lane Park showing pond with wildlife, trees and historic building

Forest Lane Park in Newham.

Projects

Restoring Forest Lane Park for people and nature

Newham Council has received initial support for a proposed £1million project to transform Forest Lane Park, a green space in the heart of Newham.

12/09/2023

A view from the top of the cemetery overlooking grave stones and trees

Viewpoint from Sheffield General Cemetery.

Projects

Sheffield General Cemetery restored with £3.7million investment

A four-year project has safeguarded Sheffield General Cemetery as a heritage-rich, biodiverse public park.

15/12/2015

An aerial photo of an archaeological dig in a field

Archeological excavations at Rendlesham. Photo: Suffolk County Council / Jim Pullen.

Projects

Rendlesham Revealed: unearthing Anglo-Saxon life in Suffolk

A community archaeology project has made new discoveries in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

21/06/2018

An adult talks to a child wearing a head scarf.

Learning Through Landscapes delivered the My School My Planet project. Photo: Simon Hadley.

Blogs

How Walsall’s heritage is thriving

Our Engagement Manager, Natalie Osborne, shares the successful heritage work of Walsall – one of our 13 Areas of Focus.

28/09/2023

Five people in a park looking at plans on A3 size paper

Inspecting plans for Edinburgh Garden City

Projects

#FIRNS Edinburgh Garden City Programme – Water of Leith Catchment

Edinburgh City Council are committed to working with potential investors to boost nature in urban settings.

30/08/2023

A person holds an oyster in their hands.

Oysters are being restored to Conwy Bay. Photo: ZSL.

News

Applications open for £9.8million in new funding for restoring nature in Wales

Have you got an idea for a project to help nature and people in Wales thrive? Apply now through two new funds.

18/09/2023

Wooden planters containing flowering plants on the platform of a train station.

Planters with flowering plants at Abergavenny train station.

Projects

Transport for Wales Green Routes

Transport for Wales (TfW) boosted biodiversity and encouraged wildlife at 25 railway stations and five community sites.

30/11/2020