Category: Factual & Arts TV; Scotland; 91Èȱ¬ TWO
Date: 04.08.2006
Printable version
Big money boost for buildings at risk in 91Èȱ¬ series
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The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is setting aside £1.9m for 91Èȱ¬ TWO's
Restoration Village, it was announced today.
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This substantial HLF award will allow for both a main prize for the winner and a
series of smaller planning grants up to £50,000 for the projects, short-listed
for the final, that require funding to further plan their projects.
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This means
even more buildings featured will have HLF support.
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Additional funding will be
raised by viewer votes and other donations.
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The third outing of 91Èȱ¬ TWO's hit series, which campaigns for endangered
architectural gems, launched on 28 July with a focus on rural communities.
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Restoration Village (every Friday at 9.00pm) is featuring 21 buildings that lie at
the heart of villages all over the UK and calls on viewers to vote for the one
they most want saved.
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HLF has been a substantial supporter of the 91Èȱ¬'s Restoration since the first
series, awarding £5.5m in total to the winning buildings - the
Turkish Baths at Victoria Baths in Manchester, and the Old Grammar School and
Saracen's Head in Birmingham.
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Today's announcement comes as the first phase of restoration at Victoria Baths
gets underway while the Old Grammar School and Saracen's Head is due to re-open
in early 2008.
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Commenting on the announcement, Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of HLF, said: "Restoration brilliantly demonstrated how passionate people are about their
heritage and encouraged thousands more to get really involved.
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"The Heritage
Lottery Fund is always keen to hear the public's views and this new series will
once again give Lottery players the chance to vote for their favourite building
in the local community."
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In addition, no fewer than 24 other buildings that were featured in the previous
two series of Restoration have developed their plans and won HLF funding to make
them a reality.
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In total, this amounts to an additional £33m allocated by
HLF to other Restoration projects.
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Nikki Cheetham, Managing Director of Cheetah Television, who produce Restoration Village, added: "We are very
grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their continued support.
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"This is a
tremendous boost to Restoration Village because it means the money raised by
viewers' votes will be added to a sizeable fund."
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Andrea Miller, Head of Factual at 91Èȱ¬ Scotland, commented: "We're delighted the
HLF is supporting the Restoration campaign and that our viewers have a say in
how that money will be spent."
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Each week on Restoration Village presenter Griff Rhys Jones and ruin detectives
- architect Ptolemy Dean and surveyor Marianne Suhr - profile three rural gems
within a region of the UK and ask viewers to vote for which one should go
through to the final.
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Seven finalists from around the country will then be put
forward for the ultimate public vote.
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A surprise eighth finalist will also join
the line-up - this will be the runner-up that receives the most viewer votes
across the series.
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The grand final will be held at Weald & Downland Open Air Museum.
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Notes to Editors
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Restoration Village is produced by Cheetah Television production (part of
Endemol UK) for 91Èȱ¬ Scotland.
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The executive producers of the series are Nikki
Cheetham and Annette Clarke for Cheetah Television, and Andrea Miller for 91Èȱ¬
Scotland.
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The Heritage Lottery Fund was set up in 1994 to distribute money raised by the
National Lottery to heritage projects.
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Grants range from multi-million pound
investments in iconic sites, parks, wildlife and the environment to smaller
grants that make all the difference to community groups.
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HLF has supported more than
18,000 projects, allocating £3.3billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk.
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The money granted will be subject to approval by Registered charity The
Restoration Fund.
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HLF will make a Project Planning Grant (PPG) available to all those short-listed
projects that need further help with their planning, up to value of £50,000
each.
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Each week on Restoration Village three buildings from geographical area within
the UK will be unveiled and viewers can call the phoneline 09013 600500 to
register their support.
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Each call will cost £1 with more than 77p going directly to the Restoration
Fund, a registered charity.
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Calls from a BT landline will cost £1. Calls from
mobiles and other networks may vary.
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Monies raised from the voting lines will be
used for the building that receives the most votes provided it fulfils the
conditions set out by the Trustees of The Restoration Fund.
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Restoration Village has been produced in consultation with the Heritage Lottery
Fund, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments) and
The Department of the Environment and Heritage, Northern Ireland.
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There will be also be road shows held in each region showcasing the crafts used
in restoration - from stonemasonry to lime plastering and thatching.
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There is also a book of the series, published by English Heritage, featuring
each of the chosen buildings.
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An accompanying series on 91Èȱ¬ FOUR sees Restoration's ruin detective Ptolemy
Dean on a personal quest to find Britain's perfect village.
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In this seven part
series broadcast every Friday at 10.00pm, The Perfect Village, Ptolemy will take
viewers on an intellectual journey throughout the UK, visiting a variety of
different villages from your typical chocolate box-setting to the more modern
village in his quest to find the perfect one.
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HM
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