Lottery to fund skills training

Almost 800 new placements will be available thanks to the £13.6m of new funding, which will support traditional conservation training and more contemporary skills to encourage involvement in heritage across the UK.

Projects include traditional boat building in Ellesmere Port, stone masonry and heritage brickwork in Lincoln and maintenance of industrial exhibits in museums across the North East.

Heritage Lottery Fund chairwoman Dame Jenny Abramsky said: “This extra money expands our tailored skills programmes at a time when demand for training opportunities is extraordinarily high.

“The Heritage Lottery Fund has been championing work-based placements for a number of years and we are pleased to be able to give even more financial support through the Training Bursaries and Skills for the Future programmes. Together, they are on course to deliver 2,200 training places by 2015.”

Skills minister John Hayes said: “Britain’s heritage forms a fundamental part of our society and economy, it underpins the very fabric of this country and is envied the world over. It is vital that we make every effort to preserve it and the incredible variety of skills it takes to maintain our heritage sites.”