THE importance of heritage in Billericay was highlighted by the large turnout that welcomed representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Several organisations took part in the event hosted by John Baron MP with Kate Brown of the Heritage Lottery Fund taking centre stage, and it turned out to be the highest attendance for groups expressing interests in lottery grants in South Essex.
Mr Baron said: "This was a good success, with more than 20 organisations expressing interest.
"My thanks go to Kate Brown and the HLF team for their hard work.
"The challenge now is to convert these expressions of interest into concrete project applications.
"The constituency has historically not done well when it comes to lottery funding, and we need to do more to try and put that right. But this was an encouraging start."
Kate Brown said: "This has been a great opportunity to highlight how heritage is important to everyone.
"I look forward to working with those groups who want to share their heritage with the wider community of Basildon.
"Anybody who would like more information about the Heritage Lottery Fund and how to apply should get in touch so we can talk further."
