Funding The Story

European Regional Development Fund

The Story project has received in excess of £1.5 million in European Regional Development Funding to allow for a number of environmentally friendly measures to be included in the restoration project. This will include the installation of Photovoltaic panels, a smart heating and cooling system and a ground source heat pump that could meet almost 90 per cent of the building's heating demand and 60 per cent of its cooling demand.

The measures will reduce the energy consumption of the building and cut the greenhouse gases emitted from the site, saving more than 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year compared to if it was built without the measures.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded The Story project a £1.2 million grant to deliver a five-year programme of countywide activities and temporary exhibitions linked to The Story. 

The funding will also support an innovative digital offer, including a new dedicated The Story website; an online platform for people to search the collections, comment on heritage items and share their own stories; and the digitisation and cataloguing of thousands of photographs, objects, maps and other historic documents. This will allow people all over the world to connect with the county's historic collections and archives in unique ways.

The Wolfson Foundation

The Wolfson Foundation has granted £150,000 towards The Story's exhibition space. The application was granted to create a unique heritage offer which inspires and encourages engagement introducing the people of County Durham to their most valuable heritage records in non-traditional and creative ways.