29 June 2015
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund
are investing £34m in some of the UK's most precious, yet tired
green spaces. These include:
- Great Yarmouth's vibrant Venetian-inspired water gardens
constructed as part of an unemployment relief programme after the
First World War
- Belfast City Cemetery - 'the final resting place of some of
Belfast's industrial giants, including an underground wall
originally built to divide Protestants and Catholics and a 'poor
ground' where 63,000 people are buried in unmarked graves.'
- Winckley Square Gardens, Preston - one of Northern England's
finest Georgian squares - with notable residents including
suffragette Edith Rigby and seven-times Mayor Nicholas
Grimshaw
- Stoke-on-Trent's Hanley Park - one of the biggest Victorian
public parks in the UK, built for local potters and miners to relax
and play sports.
This money will transform these sites, some of which are
situated in the country's most deprived communities. Disused
historic buildings will be restored and used as new cafes or public
facilities, helping to attract more people and therefore more
income. Innovations include public wi-fi installed in Peel Park,
Salford and plans to harness renewable energy from the mill pond at
Victoria Park, Stafford.
Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch said: "This
investment will breathe new life into each of these 16 historic
parks and cemeteries, 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."
HLF's Chair Sir Peter Luff, said, on behalf of HLF and the Big
Lottery Fund: "We all benefit from spending time outside in the
fresh air, so it's vital that we look after our green spaces,
particularly in dense urban areas. National Lottery players' money
will give a boost to each of these 16 historic places, helping make
sure they have a great future."
To date, National Lottery money to the tune of £770million has
been invested in parks since 1996 and many of these major parks
projects are now central to their local community's sense of
well-being.
The 16
parks and cemeteries receiving funding today
are:
Earmarked funding for
- West Smethwick Park (Sandwell)
- Victoria Park (Stafford)
- Hunstanton Heritage Gardens (West Norfolk)
- Great Yarmouth Venetian Waterways
- Springfield Park (Hackney)
- Thompson Park (Burnley)
- London Road Cemetery (Coventry)
Confirmed grants for
- Chase Park (Gateshead)
- Peel Park (Salford)
- Winckley Square Gardens (Preston)
- Northwood Cemetery (Isle of Wight)
- Hanley Park, Stoke on Trent.
HLF only funded grants for
- Belfast Cemetery (earmarked funding)
- Stornoway Castle Grounds
- Dean Castle Country Park (East Ayrshire)
- Wrexham Cemetery