The new ‘Once and Future Fund’ is an endowment launched by English Heritage to encourage the public to help protect the future of the nation’s heritage.
English Heritage writes:
Over 300 of the sites in our care are free for all to enjoy. The Once and Future Fund will help ensure England’s free heritage can stand the test of time. You can walk along windswept stretches of Hadrian’s Wall, marvel at the spectacular span of the ground-breaking Iron Bridge or see priceless Old Masters at Kenwood, all without buying a ticket. Keeping these places open for everyone to enjoy is a vital part of our work as a charity.
But free to enter doesn’t mean free to maintain. Without careful conservation and thoughtful interpretation, the stories of these places will be lost to future generations, and costs are rising. The Once and Future Fund is an endowment that will ensure our free sites stand the test of time. The Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged £1 million towards the fund to match donations from others, meaning that your gifts will be doubled in value. Your donation will play a role in securing the future of the places across England where history was made.
The income from the Once and Future Fund will be used each year at the sites which need the most urgent care. Because we’ll be able to focus our efforts on each site, we hope it will be many decades before further major interventions are needed. We will undertake conservation and interpretation projects at the sites that need it most. We will also explore how we can attract new audiences to our free sites, and to strengthen partnerships between the heritage sites and their local volunteer, school and community groups. This is your chance to play your part in securing the future of places across England where history was made.
If you are interested in supporting The Once and Future Fund, please contact Hannah Hamblin, Philanthropy Executive 020 7973 3516 fundraising@english-heritage.org.uk
