In addition to the funding for the National Garden Scheme and Friends of Westonbirt’s community tree planting scheme, the Julia Rausing Trust has awarded grants of £6.2 million to cathedrals, £6.2 million to botanic gardens and £4.3 million to museums and galleries. The grants will enable repair and refurbishment works to English cathedrals and botanical gardens across England, Wales and Scotland. The funding for museums and galleries will support strategic programme delivery for the benefit of smaller regional museums.
The Julia Rausing Trust is a charitable fund, which was established this year to honour the late philanthropist Julia Rausing, who died in 2024. The rust will see £100million donated to charities and organisations in its first
year and annually thereafter, making it one of the largest charitable funds in the UK
Botanic gardens across the UK received grants towards a range of projects, including repair of historic glasshouses, access and interpretation. As part of this, a £2 million grant has been made to Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) towards its £19 million restoration project to improve visitor and learning facilities. BBG is one of the UK’s most significant historic Botanic Gardens – Grade II*, which opened in 1832 and today welcomes 220,000 visitors and 19,000 school children every year.
Sue Beardsmore, Chair of Birmingham Botanical Gardens said, “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this magnificent support from Julia Rausing Trust for Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Growing Our Green Heritage Project. This generous award is truly transformational and enables the Gardens to progress this important and exciting project.”
The National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW) have been awarded £1.3million towards technical upgrades to the mechanical infrastructure and facilities of the garden’s centrepiece, the Great Glasshouse. It is home to one of the world’s largest collections of Mediterranean plants under a single-span glass roof and serves as a living laboratory for conservation, research and year-round visitor engagement. The grant is the total required to undertake the first phase of a two-phase plan to strengthen NBGW’s position to care for its collections in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.
Other horticulture related recipients include: the Chelsea Physic Garden, Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, National Botanic Garden of Wales, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Tatton Garden Society, The Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum and the Garden Museum.
York Minster is one of the seven cathedrals granted funding, where a grant of £500,000 will complete the fundraising campaign for the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management. It will also enable conservation and protection of three important windows in the South Transept to be undertaken, as well as analysis of the iconic Rose Window, which was last repaired following a 1984 fire.
Included in support for museums and galleries are a number of projects that will see the funds benefit smaller regional museums across the UK. One such grant is to The Association for Independent Museums (AIM), who will receive £600,000 for the Museum Fundamentals grant programme – distributing grants of up to £20,000 for collections care; covering documentation, research and minor improvements to buildings and environmental conditions to ensure collections are looked after.
Simon Fourmy, Director of Julia Rausing Trust, said: “From the splendour of a medieval cathedral to the innovation of a Victorian, via a fascinating and inspiring array of museums dotted across the country, the UK boasts exceptional heritage. Supporting heritage for the benefit of all was an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving and so it is fitting to continue her legacy through these new heritage-themed grants.”