£2m offered to save farm history

Historic farm buildings are being saved from dereliction thanks to a new £2million grant scheme.

Currently being piloted in five national parks, the Historic Building Restoration Grant is offering funds to help protect and preserve iconic rural buildings.

Hoping to keep such buildings from falling out of use, land owners within Dartmoor, Lake District, Northumberland, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks can today apply for 80 per cent towards the cost of restoration and can work with National Park advisers.

This can include replacing the roof, weatherproofing the exterior, or other works so that the building can be used again for farming purposes.

The scheme is open for applications until Jan 31 next year and, once approved, agreement holders will have two years to complete repairs. Samantha Herbert