Torbay Heritage Place is a 10-year programme of investment by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It aims to boost pride in our region and connect people to Torbay’s unique built, cultural and natural heritage.
Torbay was one of the first areas in the UK to be designated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as a Heritage Place.
As the lead organisation for Torbay Heritage Place, we are coordinating a programme of heritage projects with our partners and communities. We also support local organisations to apply for project funding under the Torbay Heritage Place umbrella.
Torbay Heritage Place will enable more people in Torquay, Paignton and Brixham to benefit socially and economically from our remarkable built, cultural and natural heritage, supported by us and our partners.
Following a period of development, the Torbay Heritage Place programme is now moving into a delivery phase that will last until 2033. The projects that make up the programme will encompass a wide range of ideas and activities. For example, projects could include improving a historic neighbourhood, celebrating our creative arts heritage, creating new volunteering opportunities or restoring and caring for a special place.
Organisations in Torbay can apply to the National Lottery Heritage Fund under the Heritage Places initiative. To be successful, your project must align with the initiative’s local priorities and the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s investment principles.
The first step is to tell us about your project idea by completing an Initial Project Outline online. The Torbay Heritage Place Steering Group will assess whether your idea aligns with the local priorities for the programme. We will write to you to let you know the outcome.
If the letter you receive from the Steering Group confirms that your idea aligns with the local priorities, you can apply to the National Lottery Heritage Fund under the Heritage Place initiative. We can offer you support to develop your proposal, and you must include the letter from us with your application. Read the guidance on how to apply.
We do not make funding decisions. Your application will be assessed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Your organisation may have a great idea for a local heritage project that has a different focus to our current priorities for Torbay Heritage Place. In that case, you can still apply to the National Lottery Heritage Fund under a different funding programme, or to a different funder.
If your project needs a small grant (£500 - £7,000) and is relevant to the theme ‘Writers, Artists, and Musicians on the English Riviera’, you can apply to the Local Heritage Grants Scheme. The scheme is made possible through Torbay Heritage Place and is administered locally. It has a different application process.
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.
Our plans for Torbay Heritage Place are underpinned by the Torbay Heritage Strategy 2021-2026. The Strategy is currently being reviewed for the next five-year period.
The Torbay Culture and Heritage Forum is a monthly meeting that brings together individuals, groups and organisations involved in culture, history, arts and heritage.