£400,000 Lottery cash will 'bring geology to life' in upper Teesdale

A scheme to bring the area’s geological heritage to life over the next three years has gained Lottery support.
The  North Pennines AONB Partnership project has gained initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund  for a £406,100 project, as well as a £29,800 development grant.
The cash will also go a long way to helping the continuation of the North Pennines’ status as a UNESCO Global Geopark, a designation managed by the AONB team.
The funding will enable the creation of new IT-based interpretation of geology and landscape, new walking trails, temporary visual artworks, work in schools and new community projects.
AONB partnership director Chris Woodley-Stewart said: “The North Pennines has a fascinating geological story of ancient tropical seas, vast deserts, moving continents, huge ice sheets, magma and minerals.
“There’s also a real human story attached to some of this, notably our important lead mining heritage.
“We’re grateful to Heritage Lottery Fund and to National Lottery players for helping us to keep bringing this heritage to people’s attention and using it to support education, the visitor economy and local people’s enjoyment of the area.”
The North Pennines is one of about 120 places around the world with the UNESCO Global Geopark designation.
UNESCO created its Global Geoparks programme in 2015, placing it on a par with other official UNESCO programmes such as a World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves.
There are six others in the UK, including the North West Highlands and part of the Devon Coast. Geoparks are places where world-class geo-heritage is used to support sustainable development, mainly through education and tourism projects.
Mr Woodley-Stewart added: “We have a funding decision pending with Geopark partners to bring about £160,000 of EU funding to match the award from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
“Alongside the obvious prestige of the UNESCO designation, a pool of readymade project partners is a real advantage and we are hopeful of bringing the EU money in this spring.”
There is a six-month development phase for the project but early next year people can look forward to renewed work to bring this fascinating aspect of the region’s heritage to the fore.