A funding programme offers support for historic buildings and heritage sites that matter to local communities.
Communities across England have been invited to apply for a share of almost £20 million to care for historic buildings and heritage sites in their local areas. The funding is intended for places that may not be nationally famous but still matter strongly to the people who live near them.
Local heritage is often ordinary in the best sense of the word. It can be a former school, a chapel, an old shopfront, a small museum, a civic building, a memorial or a structure that gives a street its identity.
Without support, those places can decline slowly. A roof leak, damp wall, unsafe access or lack of maintenance can make a building unusable long before anyone decides to demolish it.
The positive part is that the programme recognises heritage as something lived with, not only visited. Protecting a local building can keep memory, craft and community use together in one place.
Source: GOV.UK