TOADS, railways and a museum dedicated to Roman history in Scotland have received more than £3m from the National Lottery.
A museum dedicated to the Romans in Scotland, the Trimontium Museum in Melrose, in the Borders, has received more than half a million pounds, while a project to help save amphibians in the Forth Valley has received more than £600,000 in a series of grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Also receiving grants are the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, which has received £741,500.
The Trimontium Museum in Melrose is to be "completely updated" thanks to funding raised by National Lottery players.
The volunteer-run museum, displaying treasures excavated from one of the most important Roman sites in the country, will be extended.
The town of Inverkeithing is also receiving more than £1m from the Lottery.
The £1,255,900 grant will see the historic buildings which form the heart of Fife’s first Royal Burgh restored and repaired, including an A-listed Georgian Town House.
The froglife project in the Forth Valley will see habitat conservation and improvements taking place at 31 sites across the region, including the creation of 49 ponds, a series of projects prompted by the 68% decline in the population of the Common Toad
St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen will receive £300,000.
Dating from the 1400’s, St Machar’s Cathedral is the oldest in-use building in Aberdeen and also houses significant stained-glass windows.
Repair and conservation work will now be carried out, especially to the roof, and an event will be held in 2020 to mark the completion of the restored Renaissance ceiling.
Earlier this year The National Lottery Heritage Fund launched a new corporate identity and name.
All funding decisions up to grants of £5 million are made by the committee and senior staff in Scotland, and a new chair, Ray Macfarlane.
Riona McMorrow, acting head of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "Making more decisions on funding in Scotland means we can focus on the heritage that really matters to people, creating jobs, bringing economic prosperity and improving people’s lives right across the country.
"The awards we’ve made today not only demonstrate how incredibly diverse our heritage is, they celebrate the thousands of volunteers who commit their time to making sure our country’s past is kept safe for future generations."
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