A Cumbrian wildlife charity was one of the many charities across the north of England to have received a share of £8.3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in response to the financial pressures brought about by Covid-19.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £8.3m to 198 organisations across the north of England last week, to help safeguard the area’s heritage in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust was awarded £246,000 to help it reposition its business plans to improve the organisation’s resilience.

The funding will also support the work of the Nature North consortium, set to play an important role in the green recovery for nature and wildlife across the north of England.

Last week's funding announcement marked the final allocation of grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund's Heritage Emergency Fund, set up in April to help organisations face the financial pressures brought about by Covid-19.

David Renwick, director for the north of England at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage across the North of England has faced a challenge like never seen before during this coronavirus pandemic.

"As a funder, we knew that those dedicated to safeguarding and preserving our all-important heritage would need significant support, and we worked incredibly hard and against the clock to refocus our funding programme and get grants out the door.

"We are extremely proud that our funding has been able to support such a diverse portfolio of organisations and groups to weather the crisis and continue their work at this difficult time.

"We are keen to understand more about what support heritage organisations in the north need as we hopefully move into recovery.

"Sadly, we cannot save everyone and we know challenges still exist for many and that obstacles still lie ahead, we are grateful that thanks to National Lottery players we have been able to support so many.”