GROUPS across Ludlow and south Shropshire and in Tenbury and the Teme Valley can bid for money from the National Lottery.

Applications are now open for National Lottery Grants for Heritage, worth between £3,000 and £5m for heritage organisations.

The grants aim to prioritise the recovery from Covid19 and decisions around funding will consider criteria including how the grant would help the local economy, encourage skills, support wellbeing, create better places to live and work and support organisations involved with heritage.

All projects will need to demonstrate how they encourage wider participation in heritage, and must be environmentally responsible.

The new funding has been welcomed by Ludlow MP Philip Dunne.

“After a tough year, I am pleased the National Lottery is resuming grant funding for heritage organisations, many of which will have suffered loss of income due to reduced footfall and visitors,” he said.

“So I encourage south Shropshire organisations to put forward bids for grant funding, and hopefully bring in some much needed additional funding for the year ahead.”

A decade ago the Regal in Tenbury was refurbished with a large Lottery grant.

More information on the application process can be found at: www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/national-lottery-grants-heritage-2021-22.