The Leeds Library has received £49,800 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the Library during its reopening phase following its 15-week closure due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Funds will be used to undertake essential building and maintenance work and support a fundraising programme to assist the Library recover from the impact of the unexpected closure.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown began, The Leeds Library has been focused on delivering a broad range of online and remote services for its members including an eBook Library, digital access to newspapers and journals, a postal loans service and online events programme. The Library has also been planning its reopening and looking at new ways in which the people of Leeds can engage with one of the heritage gems of the city, and which is the oldest membership subscription Library still in existence in the British Isles.
Carl Hutton, Chief Executive of The Leeds Library said: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now look to invest in our heritage and open up the Library quickly not just for our members but also for visitors over the coming months so they can engage with our heritage story. We’re grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline for us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”
Window art created by local artist Jenny Tribillon
The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million has been made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.
The UK-wide fund will address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.
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 Leeds Library during this uncertain time.”
Like The Leeds Library, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery. This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.
Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is currently open to applications for its Heritage Emergency Fund. To find out more visit: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19
To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes , visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response
