The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards £250,000 to support new Torbay heritage grant scheme
Torbay Council, supported by the board of Torbay Culture, has been engaging with external partners including The National Lottery Heritage Fund to look at ways of supporting our shared ambitions for heritage and culture in the bay.
As part of this, we made an application to the Heritage Fund which has awarded the Council a £250,000 grant to establish a Torbay local heritage small grants scheme. The Council has also committed £12,500 contribution to go alongside this funding.
The aim of the new scheme will be to enable greater participation in Torbay’s heritage, and celebrate our designation as a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The scheme will be set up ready to open this summer, and will continue with additional rounds awarding grants in 2024/25. The Heritage Fund investment will support advice for applicants and grant recipients, and evaluation and shared learning. Details about how to apply will be issued in the coming months.
The funding will be focused at smaller-scale grassroots heritage projects, which otherwise may struggle to access support, as distinct from larger-scale capital projects.
Growing and raising awareness of Torbay’s culture and heritage underpins several key documents and plans including the Torbay Story, the Culture Strategy, the Heritage Strategy, and the Local Plan – all which have been developed with input from the community.
“Investing in heritage means investing in the community it belongs to, which is why we are proud to support Torbay Council with their local heritage small grants scheme. Thanks to National Lottery players, the scheme will strengthen the community by helping local people better understand the heritage and history and help others discover their own. We’re lucky to have a fascinating heritage on our doorstep and we know it is a great way of bringing people together and creating a sense of pride of place, that in turn can deliver wider economic benefits.” - Stuart McLeod, Director, England - London & South, The National Lottery Heritage Fund
“Torbay has a fascinating and significant heritage. Heritage isn’t just about looking to the past, preserving and conserving, it’s about the people and places of today. This funding will allow us to offer more people the opportunity to experience, learn and celebrate what makes Torbay great.” - Councillor Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment & Culture, Torbay Council
“This much appreciated investment from the Heritage Fund is an important part of the collaborative approach Torbay Culture and partners have worked hard to develop in recent years. Working with Torbay Council, we look forward to setting up the small grants scheme to increase access to heritage in the local area and raise awareness of our UNESCO Global Geopark designation.” - Jacob Brandon, Chair of Torbay Culture
Torbay’s local heritage grants scheme is a collaboration between Torbay Council, Torbay Culture, and the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark.
It is made possible thanks to investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
