HISTORIC monuments in the North York Moors have a bright future thanks to a £170,000 grant to help enhance them.

The North York Moors National Park Authority has been awarded the money by Historic England to help secure the future of its historic monuments and increase public understanding of their significance.

The funds follow on from Historic England’s support of the National Park Monument Management Scheme from 2009 to 2018.

This successful scheme resulted in a massive reduction in the number of Scheduled Monuments - those protected by law - on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.

In total, 211 Scheduled Monuments had their ‘At Risk’ status reduced, and a further 156 benefited in other ways.

The new ‘Monuments for the Future’ project, aims to take the management work in a new direction, with greater emphasis on public engagement and raising awareness of the Moors’ archaeological assets.

Mags Waughman, head of historic environment at the National Park Authority, explained: “Whether it’s burial mounds on the horizon, settlements and field systems spread across the landscape, or the remnants of the iron, jet and alum industries, these imprints of human activity are as much a part of the fabric of the National Park as the moorland, the woodlands and the coast.

“Following the success of our previous project, we are now turning our attention to how we can ensure a legacy of well-managed monuments in a good, stable condition, which can be enjoyed for many generations to come.”

Part of the project will involve providing training and support for more volunteers to carry out minor maintenance of monuments as well as routine monitoring.

Landowners and farmers will be offered help in identifying and caring for the monuments on their land, and the scheme also wishes to encourage a sense of ownership for the monuments amongst locals.

The grant will also support three part-time staff over the three years of the project.

And it will help fund work on some of the difficult monuments on the Heritage at Risk register, such as the alum working sites under threat from coastal erosion and monuments located in farmers’ fields that are subject to ploughing.