Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are delighted to announce that they have secured an initial award of £238,798 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of an exciting new heritage project for the borough.
ABC Heritage Places is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at preserving, celebrating and investing in the area’s rich cultural legacy. The initial 18-month project will engage with a diverse range of participants from across the borough, fostering a deeper understanding of what heritage means to them.
The project aims to capture a wide range of heritage aspects from buildings to agriculture to sport. The key output will be a strategic plan which will identify local heritage priorities for the delivery of a potential 10-year Heritage Places project for the borough.
Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy, expressed her enthusiasm for the project:
“We are delighted to be selected for this exciting new Heritage Places project. Our borough is filled with rich history which contributes to the unique character and quality of our borough. We are home to lots of hidden gems of irreplaceable heritage, and it’s important we share and preserve it for future generations. I look forward to seeing the impact of Heritage Places in our borough and what we can learn from this.”
Dr Paul Mullan, Northern Ireland Director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“We’ve made a £200m commitment to Heritage Places across the UK in the next ten years and it’s great to see this initial money raised by National Lottery players facilitating Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to engage with communities and groups across the borough to establish a shared vision for heritage investment. By recruiting a staff member and putting in place consultancy advice it provides dedicated support and the opportunity for proactive community engagement. We would encourage anyone with an interest in the area’s heritage to get involved in the coming months.”
The ABC Heritage Places Project is the first project funded in Northern Ireland under The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places initiative. This 10-year commitment seeks to unlock the potential of local heritage, igniting imagination, pride, and inspiration in Heritage Places across the UK. Through collaboration and targeted investment, the ABC Heritage Places project will transform the borough’s historic fabric, ensuring that its unique character endures for generations to come.
More details of how to get involved and planned engagement sessions will be posted on our website and social media channels in the next few months.
