The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced an investment of over £10 million in seven projects across the UK, aimed at conserving historic buildings and repurposing them for community use.

Over the past three decades, the fund has invested £3.4 billion in more than 10,600 historic buildings, with this latest round of funding focused on increasing access to local history and creating vocational opportunities for the next generation.

A significant portion of the investment—over £7 million—is dedicated to revitalising town and city centres across Scotland. These projects are designed to save significant built heritage while improving shopfronts and increasing traditional heritage building skills.

Major Investment in Glasgow's Cultural District

The Sauchiehall Street: Cultural and Heritage District has been awarded a £2.3 million grant as part of the Heritage Places strategic initiative. This funding will support a 10-year plan to renew the iconic street, including the preservation of the McLellan Galleries, one of Glasgow's earliest purpose-built arts spaces.

The Galleries will be utilised by three cultural partners: Glasgow Film, The Scottish Ensemble, and the youth charity Articulate. Additionally, the project will restore the 19th-century Cameron Memorial Fountain and implement a community grants scheme, artist residencies, and building improvement programmes to enhance the area's social and architectural value.

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Regenerating Scottish Town Centres

Three other town centre regeneration projects across Scotland have received backing to preserve valued community assets:

• Airdrie: A £1.4 million grant will support the redevelopment of Airdrie Library, Scotland's first library under the Public Libraries Act 1850 and home to the UK's smallest public observatory.

• Tarbert: Argyll and Bute Council has been awarded £850,000 to return vacant historic buildings to residential use. The scheme will also repair quayside buildings and restore shopfronts.

• Girvan: A £2.5 million programme will focus on restoring four historic sites, including the McKechnie Institute, Stumpy Jail, a former bank on Dalrymple Street, and the Stair Park Bandstand, while providing heritage building skills training.

Expanding Heritage Access in London and the North

In London, the Old Library in Canning Town will be transformed into a permanent home for Newham's archive and museum collections with the help of Heritage Fund support. Further east, funding will kick-start a new Culture and Heritage Strategy for Barking and Dagenham, co-created with the local community to celebrate the borough's industrial history.

In the North of England, a £62,000 grant has been awarded to progress plans for repairing Grimsby's former House of Fraser department store. The project will enable community activities to explore the building's past and help preserve at-risk heritage skills in the region.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "This marks an exciting moment, with fantastic investments in places that connect communities with their heritage gems. Understanding how communities feel about their heritage is vital to meaningful regeneration, and we're proud to invest in four exceptional places where historic buildings will be restored and repurposed for everyone to enjoy."