A NEGLECTED Herefordshire castle's future is looking brighter with announcement of a much-needed grant.

The Snodhill Castle ruin was close to collapse in 2015, before it was saved by the combined efforts of enthusiasts and locals who, with the backing of Historic England, formed the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust.

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The trust has now been awarded a grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its mission to conserve, study and open for public benefit the castle site and remains.

The £201,000 development grant will help to strengthen the organisational resilience of the trust and boost its community engagement activities, a trust spokesperson said.

"Only by widening our appeal and strengthening our organisation will we be able to secure this increasingly significant castle for future generations," the spokesperson said.

"Today, the ten-acre site, its ruins studded with ancient trees, is being conserved by experts, investigated by archaeologists and enjoyed by the public – as revealed in BBC’s Digging for Britain in January 2024.

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"But there’s much more to do to sustain this fascinating and unique site for the future."

The grant will help the trust to become a more connected, digitally enabled and better-resourced organisation.

Plans include running community digs in conjunction with Herefordshire Archaeology, commissioning historical research and ecological and habitat surveys  for projects to conserve and enhance the castle’s landscape, habitat and species diversity, and encouraging the castle’s use in new ways in academic, media, events and other creative contexts