World Heritage UK has received a National Lottery grant of £100,000 for its ‘Unlocking the Potential’ project. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the funding provides essential support to achieve World Heritage UK’s Vision, where ‘the UK will have a coherent approach to World Heritage Sites, which will be better known, understood, and supported through sustainable funding so they can provide inspiration, learning and enjoyment for society’.
The UK has 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites which collectively tell our island story. They include Neolithic monuments, palaces, cathedrals, castles, entire cities, stunning natural coastline and pioneering industrial heritage. Individually they can be a challenge to manage, but as an outstanding collection World Heritage UK works to raise their profile, advocate for support and resource, promote their values and facilitate networking, training and sharing of good practice. Grant funding allows World Heritage UK to become more sustainable, strengthening the organisation with costs of new staff, professional guidance for improved governance, strategy and business development, fundraising, marketing, communication and training.
World Heritage UK Chairman Tony Crouch said, “The UK is a world leader in terms of heritage management and our UNESCO World Heritage Sites need and deserve a strong body to help protect, promote and interpret our outstanding collection. World Heritage UK, with the valuable assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, can step up and fully fulfil that role.”
Vanessa Harbar, Head of National Lottery Heritage Fund West Midlands, said “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this project will help strengthen World Heritage UK and ensure that the county’s rich and fascinating heritage is better managed, protected and shared with local people and visitors.”
About World Heritage UK
World Heritage UK (www.worldheritageuk.org) is a charitable organisation set up in 2015 to undertake networking, advocacy and promotion for the UK’s 31 outstanding World Heritage Sites, and the Tentative List Sites progressing towards UNESCO World Heritage Site status. World Heritage UK evolved out of the Local Authority World Heritage Forum , which was established as a Local Government Association special interest group in 1995, and which did a great deal of positive action to support the UK’s sites.
World Heritage UK is the only organisation exclusively focused on World Heritage in the UK, and the only one led by the World Heritage Sites themselves, reflecting a community-driven approach that has proven effective at many sites and which is favoured by UNESCO.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Tony Crouch, World Heritage UK Chair, at [email protected] or call 07875 488803 or Chris Mahon, World Heritage UK Development Director at [email protected]