Heritage Lottery boost for Jodrell Bank welcomed

CHESHIRE East Council has welcomed an announcement that the Jodrell Bank Observatory is on course to receive £12m of Heritage Lottery Fund money to improve its offering for visitors.
 
The grant is earmarked for a new ‘First Light’ pavilion, which will celebrate the heritage of the Grade I-listed Lovell telescope and create a spectacular new space in which visitors can learn about our place in the Universe.
 
Cheshire East Council leader Michael Jones said: “This is great news for a world-famous icon of Cheshire East.
 
“We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund is backing this project, which will bring many more visitors to the Borough and also inspire young people to enjoy studying science and perhaps one day become the astronomers and engineers who will keep the UK at the forefront of global research.
 
“Coupled with the successful bid to remain as the headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array – the project to build the world’s largest radio telescope – this underlines the huge value of Jodrell Bank to Cheshire East.”
 
Jodrell Bank will receive £784,800 now and has two years to submit fully developed proposals for the project, which will cost a total of £19m.