County Durham is set to benefit from a £200m National Lottery Heritage Fund with funding set to continue for the next ten years.
Durham is one of nine places in the UK that have so far been chosen to benefit from millions of pounds of National Lottery funding to "unlock the potential of their heritage".
Other beneficiaries include Glasgow, Leicester, North East Lincolnshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Torbay.
Read more: Stockton & Darlington Railway to mark 200th anniversary
Said funding that will now be poured into Durham will be focused on the County's proud railway heritage that is known well across the globe.
Organisers have confirmed that the focus of this initiative is South West Durham, with a particular focus on the town of Newton Aycliffe and the village of Shildon, the latter hosting Locomotion, the largest railway museum in Europe.
Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion has welcomed the funding that previously helped Locomotion open in Shildon back in 2004.
"Located only a few metres from the site of the historically significant Stockton and Darlington Railway, the museum today houses many stars of the national railway collection.
"The museum receives loyal visitors from across the North East of England and beyond and hosts a changing programme of family events and exhibitions.
"I look forward to seeing the impact of Heritage Places in County Durham."
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: "We’re embarking on a heritage-led journey by taking a long-term view with our new place initiative.
"We’ve seen many times that when our investments contribute to the long-term vision for a place, the benefits can be profound and long-lasting."
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Carol Pyrah, Trustee and Chair of the England North Committee at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: "It’s exciting to think about what can be achieved in the coming years through strong partnership work and targeted investment in our new Heritage Places, County Durham and North East Lincolnshire.
"There’s a great opportunity here where the combined impact of investment over time could be truly transforming.
"We hope the impact of this targeted work, and other successful projects on communities and places, will continue to inspire more applications for funding of heritage across the region."
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