The
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded £9,932 to the Woodend mining museum in
Reedley Hallows, Lancashire. The much needed funding will be used to pay for
essential maintenance and to improve the available facilities.
The roof of
the museum is in urgent need of repair so that will take precedence, but some
of the funds will be used to pay for internal tiling and a new security system.
The museum first
opened its doors in 2012 after farm owners Harry and Carole Johnson discovered
a number of old mining tools and implements while they were redeveloping the
farm, built on land that used to belong to the Woodend Colliery until it closed
in 1959.
The Johnsons
were delighted when they heard their application for lottery funding had been accepted.
"It’s
fantastic news," Mrs. Johnson said. "The roof has needed doing for
quite a while. We've got a very thin and flimsy roof at the moment. We've been
crossing our fingers that it will survive the winter with the gales we've been
having."
The Johnsons
hope the new roof will also make the museum feel warmer inside and they plan to
paint it white to help make it a little brighter inside as well.
The museum
will have to be closed until the work is completed, but should be accepting
visitors again by the end of March.
The HLF is
responsible for distributing a share of the funds raised by UK National Lottery
Good Causes. HLF grants are awarded to projects designed to sustain and
transform the British Heritage.
