Boston wins heritage grants worth more than £1m

The money comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for two projects led by Boston Borough Council and one led by Heritage Lincolnshire.

They are:

- Boston Borough Council has been awarded £996,000 towards the Boston Townscape Heritage award. Working together with Heritage Lincolnshire, this project will provide opportunities to significantly enhance the eastern area of the town’s historic market place for the benefit of local businesses, the local community and visitors to the town. This builds on the success of a number of heritage led regeneration and public realm improvements which have already taken place thanks to Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England support. The project will also look to involve a number of local partners in developing activities to engage the wider community to celebrate Boston’s heritage, especially their recent Hanse League membership and preparations leading up to Mayflower 2020.

- Boston Heritage Forum have received just under £10,000 for a project to strengthen governance, provide expert advice on an appropriate group structure and constitution, and consultation on which heritage projects in Boston they want to prioritise taking forward in the next three years. The funding will also provide masterclasses on understanding the world of fundraising and will also look to provide an introduction to raising the profile of Boston’s heritage through a variety of marketing opportunities. This will provide the forum with a clear structure for operation, increased confidence in identifying sources of funding to apply for and, most importantly, some great heritage projects to pursue.

- Heritage Lincolnshire has received £10,000 for a project to explore new and viable uses for the Boston Sessions House, a Grade II* building in Boston’s’ Market Place. Largely unused since it was vacated by Boston magistrates courts in 2005, this project will support and mentor the current owner to find a viable and sustainable future that saves the building, benefits Boston and contributes to the heritage led regeneration in the town.