HISTORIC parkland surrounding two Scottish castles will be given multi-million pound makeovers after being awarded lottery funding.
A total of £7.2 million is being handed out to breathe new life into the green spaces which are already a draw for locals and visitors.
Dean Castle Park covering 200 acres in the heart of Kilmarnock has been awarded £3.3m for a project which includes an outdoor theatre and a 3.5 mile path.
Lews Castle Grounds, in Stornoway, will receive £3.9m for work including the restoration of historic features that are at risk of being lost.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced the grants today, saying both parks are popular with walkers, joggers and families.
Colin McLean, head of the HLF in Scotland, said: "Our parks, and the historic features in them, are a wonderful legacy from our ancestors. They are enjoyed by all ages and are often a community's only green space in which to relax away from the pressures of daily life.
"Using funds raised through the National Lottery, HLF is able to protect these precious places helping make a difference to the quality of life for millions of Scots."
Dean Castle Park is surrounded on three sides by housing estates, but is said to be home to 367 species of plant as well as a wide variety of birds an animals.
The castle includes a keep dating from around 1350 and a 15th century palace which was restored from ruins by the 8th Lord Howard de Walden in the 1930s. Now the lottery money is expected to rejuvenate its formal gardens, create a "civic space" for performances and craftwork, add a new bridge and path.
Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, welcomed the funding. He said: "This is incredible news for Dean Castle Country Park, a place that is hugely important to the people of Kilmarnock and beyond, and we all wish to see it protected and enhanced for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
"We are delighted with this grant which will enable us to enhance the visitor experience and make it a destination that people of all ages can enjoy in all weathers, all year round."
Lews Castle Grounds were originally created in the 1800s by clearing off tenants and re-routing public rounds - moves which did not make the proprietor popular.
However, the grounds are now the only historic park on the Western Isles and ranked as 'Outstanding' in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.
The park is owned by the community and forms part of the backdrop to Stornoway Harbour. The formal gardens, ornamental planting, paths and woodland are said to make it dramatically different from the surrounding rugged island landscape.
Access to them will be improved using the lottery money, along with the restoration work which goes alongside other regeneration work including the redevelopment of Lews Castle itself.
Iain Maciver, factor for the Stornoway Trust, said: "This exciting news offers the trust an opportunity to manage the restoration and regeneration of an outstanding asset. We are indebted to HLF for allowing us to further progress our vision for the revitalisation of our wonderful legacy."
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