£15m funding boost for saving historic sites

Historic England has awarded £15m to various projects across the north-west of England

Four heritage sites in the North-West of England are to benefit from a raft of repairs thanks to £15m of grants.

Historic England's Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, which is funded by the government, will be spent on rescuing listed buildings and sites facing dereliction or demolition.

Salford Lads Club in Greater Manchester, and Morecambe Winter Gardens, Lancashire, are among projects in the region to get a slice of the money.

Historic England said the work will "create amazing opportunities for people in some of the region's most disadvantaged areas".

Salford Lads Club is in line for some of the heritage funding

Thirty-seven projects nationwide are set to benefit from the plans, ranging from Victorian market halls to medieval churches.

"Thanks to this funding we are able to breathe new life into neglected historic buildings in the North West that we haven't been able to help through our existing grant schemes," said Louise Brennan, director of regions at Historic England.

Gawthorpe Hall barn in Padiham, Lancashire, will also receive funding

"We're thrilled to support projects that harness the power of heritage to make a real difference where it's needed most."

The Grade II listed Salford Lads Club, founded in 1903, is set to bag £437,961 for essential repairs including roof-slate replacements, and to the brickwork.

Morecambe's Winter Gardens is also to receive a share of the funding

The Grade I-listed Great Barn at Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley, Lancashire, will receive £337,975 to repair the existing roof and the interior oak frame, which will allow the 15th century building to reopen after its closure in 2008.

Morecambe Winter Gardens, in Lancashire, is to get £767,222 for fixes to the structure and staircases.

The Grade II-listed National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire will receive £252,282 to deal with the wet and dry rot in its roof, as well as fixing structural timbers to prevent collapse.