Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle are among 445 heritage organisations across the country set to receive a financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.

The money aims to help restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance on cherished heritage sites, keeping venues open and supporting those working in the sector.

If approved by Rutland County Council's Cabinet, it is proposed that the grant of £132,100 would be used to investigate and deliver a programme of transformation to support the continued sustainability of both venues.

Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle were temporarily closed earlier this year, due to the pandemic. This funding will help to address the challenges that this has created.

Coun Lucy Stephenson, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said: "It has been a challenging time for our cultural venues. The pandemic forced temporary closures and has now caused day to day running costs to rise for both the Museum and Castle. We are very proud of the County's heritage assets; working with The Friends of the Museum, this funding will support our work to minimise the impact the pandemic is having on these much loved places."

"We would like to thank the Government for recognising the value of the County's heritage, not only future generations but also for the impact on our local economy, as two of the County's major visitor attractions."

The grant funding will be discussed by Rutland County Council's Cabinet at its next meeting on Tuesday 17 November 2020. The full agenda and reports for this meeting, together with details of how to watch online, will be made available at www.rutland.gov.uk/meetings.