£60 million available to protect the UK's national heritage

The government has announced that 20 organisations in England will benefit from £60 million to protect our national heritage for future generations.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport funding, which has been awarded to organisations including the V&A, The Natural History Museum and the British Library, has supported 100 projects for essential maintenance works delayed by the pandemic. It will help projects that were stalled due to the pandemic reach completion to allow institutions to welcome back visitors this summer.

The £60 million investment builds on the almost £2 billion invested in the arts, heritage and cultural sectors through the Culture Recovery Fund, which has supported more than 5,000 organisations through the pandemic.

It is hoped that the latest funding injection will increase accessibility at national tourist attractions and help organisations meet net-zero targets by supporting energy efficiency projects at The Royal Armouries, providing grants for electric boilers at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, and upgrading insulation at Tate Liverpool.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We’ve given £60 million to safeguard the priceless collections and heritage at many of our beloved cultural institutions so they can be enjoyed by future generations. This builds on our £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund, ensuring that we continue to protect our heritage and culture throughout this pandemic and are able to open up our historic institutions for everyone to enjoy this summer.”

As well as galleries and museums, funding is also helping organisations including The Royal Parks whose green spaces were enjoyed by Londoners during the pandemic. £2.2 million will maintain footpaths, create nature habitats, protect parkland and landscapes, and repair boundary walls and bridges.