Grant of £26,000 will help Dorothy Clive Gardens look its best

The Dorothy Clive Garden has received £26000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to pay the wages of gardeners and to fund additional cleaning within the gardens.

When the Covid-19 ockdown began the garden, near Market Drayton, had to close to visitors and all staff members except one had to be furloughed. All fundraising events at the charity were cancelled in line with government directives along with weddings and educational activities, resulting in a huge loss of income.

Garden curator Kathryn Robey said: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now open safely and maintain these very beautiful gardens for the future. It is wonderful to be able to welcome visitors back to the garden knowing that they will be safe and that we can be proud of the garden.

"We’re grateful that the National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”

The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund, set up to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as The Dorothy Clive Garden during this uncertain time.”

The fund is currently open to applications for its Heritage Emergency Fund.

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