Lottery funding to protect 'fragile' coastline

A council has been awarded £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help protect a coastline.

As one of the fund's nine UK "Heritage Places", North East Lincolnshire has benefited to the tune of more than £10m since 2019.

The latest grant is due to be spent on a programme to protect the natural heritage of the Cleethorpes coastline, which the fund said was at risk from climate change and increased recreational activities.

Councillor Henry Hudson, who leads on the environment at North East Lincolnshire Council, welcomed the money for "a key area of Cleethorpes".

The project, known as DUNE (Dynamic Understanding of the Natural Environment), will explore ways to protect the "fragile" coastline, which includes salt marshes and sand dunes.

Helen Featherstone, a director at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said she hoped the grant would help to "create positive and lasting change".

North East Lincolnshire remained "a priority" for the fund, which would "leave a legacy for all to enjoy", she added.

Since 2019, the area has received 30 grants from the fund. Projects have included a £3.5m restoration of Weelsby Hall in Grimsby, and research into the local history of fish and chips.

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