Importance of lottery’s heritage fund – The Yorkshire Post says

The Grand Theatre Quarter in Leeds has been added to Historic England's 'at risk' register

The reduction in the number of cultural sites in Yorkshire that are deemed at risk of being lost forever, is testament to the effectiveness of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

When the weekly draw was launched, 25 years ago, there was speculation that it would promote gambling among those who could least afford it. This was despite the national addiction to the football pools that had taken hold before the war.

Fewer foresaw the benefits it would bring, and in particular the lifeline it would throw to communities with no other recourse to funding.

It is almost unthinkable, for instance, that the little Norman church at Salton, near York, could have been saved for generations to come without its support.

Recently removed from the 'at risk' register, the former Potternewton Park Mansion in Leeds has been repurposed into a Sikh temple.

Across Yorkshire, some 50 sites have been rescued this year, and while not all have been lottery financed, the involvement of its heritage fund is a common theme.

It is an all-too-rare example of a public project we got largely right.