Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership has secured £1.8million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) for its ambitious and exciting four year programme of heritage activity based on and around the iconic hill. The scheme aims to reconnect people with their heritage and the landscape of this special place.
The partnership is led by the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the National Lottery grant award is the result of three years of consultation and development. Also on board with the scheme are local councils, farmers and landowners, arts and environment organisations, and community groups.
The chair of the partnership, Ralph Assheton, said “I am very excited that after all the hard work put in by the team and partners, that the National Lottery has confirmed this funding. Now the hard work really begins!”
Plans for year one of the scheme include:
- an archaeological excavation looking for evidence of the real Malkin Tower
- upgrading of footpaths and creation of a walkers' seat and panorama on the summit of Pendle Hill
- three artists in residence working alongside projects to explore the subjects and engage with more people
- volunteers helping with conservation projects including tree planting and woodland management
- 20 day visits to the area for the innovative People Enjoying Nature (PEN) project
- Volunteers researching and celebrating a number of Pendle Radical stories
- Launch of a new website and visitor information
Sue Bowers, NLHF Deputy Director of Operations, said: “Pendle Hill is famous for its eerie past and tales of the witch trials draw in many visitors every year. But there’s a lot more to Pendle and thanks to National Lottery players this project is designed to open up, preserve and share other parts of the areas incredible heritage including the founding of the Quaker movement by George Fox. The benefits of this project are far reaching and will offer a range of apprenticeships and trainee positions for local people helping to reconnect them to their natural heritage.”
The photo below shows members of the Board of the Pendle Hill landscape partnership celebrating news of their successful grant application.
About the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.
Further Information
For background information about the Pendle Hill area and the projects that will be happening you can download the 'Landscape Conservation Action Plan' here (0) or view it at
https://issuu.com/lancashire1/docs/pendle_hill_lcap_web
