Thanks to National Lottery players, the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape will receive over £1million in development funding through The National Lottery Heritage Fund's ambitious Landscape Connections initiative, which aims to revive and connect the UK's most treasured landscapes.
The funds for this new partnership project have been awarded to Morecambe Bay Partnership charity working closely with the Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape Partnership, National Trust, RSPB, local wildlife organisations and communities.
The funding over the next 2 years, will investigate how best to restore nature, improve access for all and help ensure the landscape is resilient and welcoming for future generations.
Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape is an internationally important mosaic of habitats, supporting a rich diversity of wildlife that is under growing pressure from the effects of climate change, habitat fragmentation, changing land management practices and visitor behaviour.
At the same time, many nearby communities face social, economic, and transport barriers that prevent them from accessing and benefiting from this outstanding natural heritage. The opening of Eden Project Morecambe in 2028, is expected to attract upwards of 500,000 visitors annually and will bring both opportunities and challenges as many new visitors seek to explore the surrounding area.
Our project will address these interconnected challenges; protecting nature, improving access, and managing visitor impacts to ensure Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape is thriving, resilient, and inclusive for generations to come.
Thanks to National Lottery players, this development funding will bring together Morecambe Bay Partnership, Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape Partnership, National Trust, RSPB & Lancashire Wildlife Trust, farmers, landowners & interested individuals. The project will investigate how best to restore nature, improve access and help ensure the landscape remains resilient and welcoming to all by developing a long-term plan for nature recovery and sustainable tourism across the landscape.
Coordinated by Morecambe Bay Partnership charity, who have been awarded the funding, the project will support submission of an application for a delivery grant of (potentially) up to £8 million over 8 years.
Some of the activities which will be carried out in the 2-year development phase include:
- testing and trialing different methods of people engagement and nature recovery to see what works best.
- Collaboration between landowners, farmers and conservation organisations, to share knowledge, understanding and ideas to better manage the landscape for nature and people.
- Co-creating a visitor management strategy so that visitors are welcomed safely and warmly and wildlife and the landscape are respected and protected.
- Arnside & Silverdale Landscape Connections is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, this exciting project is managed by Morecambe Bay Partnership charity and delivered by a coalition of key partners including Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape Partnership, RSPB & National Trust.
- The project will employ several dedicated staff posts across the key organisations who will run the project activities over the next 2 years.
- A key task within this 2 year phase is to develop an additional application to the Heritage Fund for 8 years of delivery funding.
- By improving access, connecting habitats and sustainable management of growing visitor numbers, we hope to ensure that increasing interest in the area benefits both landscape, wildlife and local communities for generations to come.
Lucy Barron; Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape Partnership Manager:
Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape is a very special place famous for its limestone landscape and rich wildlife. This funding means investment in nature, inclusive access and community connections across the area. Strong partnership working is at the heart of this success and will now go from strength to strength. we are delighted!
About the National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Project Partners
Project partners have signed a partnership agreement with Morecambe Bay Partnership charity, the grantee, & are the main delivery agents for the development phase project.
