LONDON, ENGLAND.-The UK’s cultural heritage today received a huge boost with the news that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is backing three national museums to the tune of £38million. The recipients of this Lottery money - the Museum of London, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the National Museums of Scotland - will all undergo major transformations in time for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the massive increase of visitors expected in 2012.

This major cash injection, on top of the £1.1billion that HLF has already invested in the UK’s museums and galleries, demonstrates HLF’s continuing commitment to helping transform and develop these top visitor attractions. Museums and galleries are one of the nation’s most popular days out – in fact, more people visit museums each year than go to theme parks or the theatre. Last year, visitor figures for national museums and galleries rose by a whopping 2.2million to over 21million visitors from the UK alone.

The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: "This injection of Heritage Lottery funding will transform these museums and enrich the cultural experience for residents and visitors to London and Edinburgh. This is precisely the kind of cultural legacy that we hope for from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Liz Forgan, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “London is a true world city and its rich heritage will play an important role in the cultural programme that will support the Olympic Games; this investment in our hugely popular museums will help guarantee that visitors will be offered the finest museum experiences as part of their Olympic visits.”

Capital City - The Museum of London’s Capital City project has been earmarked an HLF grant of £10.6million plus development funding of nearly £1million. This will enable it to completely revamp its ground floor galleries and also update its Learning Centre which is used by thousands of children and young people every year.

The Museum will also be able to start putting in place plans for a space related to post 1914 history – an exciting prospect as it currently does not have room to display its vibrant collections of modern history and the changing face of the Capital.

The new galleries will provide this missing piece of the jigsaw, putting 20th century collections on permanent display for the first time and giving visitors a more contemporary snapshot of London and its diverse communities.

One of the most radical changes envisaged for the Museum will be a glass frontage at street level. Currently a concrete wall, the new-look transparent facade will enable pedestrians to look in and admire the sumptuous gold-leafed Lord Mayor’s coach which will be housed in this space, alongside objects from the Museum’s contemporary collection. This new ‘window’ will draw in passer-bys who might not normally think about walking through the Museum’s doors and will also give visitors a view out into the heart of the City.

Floella Benjamin, OBE, broadcaster and writer, who has been actively involved promoting access and learning at the Museum of London, commented on hearing the news: “I am delighted HLF has chosen to support the Capital City project at the Museum of London - it will equip the Museum for the 21st century, making it an inspiring and exciting place for people of all ages and backgrounds. London is an amazing city and deserves an amazing museum to tell its story."

World famous museum - The Victoria and Albert Museum is one of London’s most famous museums, attracting over two million visitors every year. £9.7million has been allocated to help transform the Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Comprising 10 galleries, this part of the museum will be dedicated to giving visitors a deeper appreciation and enjoyment of Medieval and Renaissance art and design. The collections (300 to 1600AD), ranging from the exquisite Becket Casket to the impressive Santa Chiara chapel, include Italian sculptures that are considered some of the best examples of their type outside Italy.

The V&A’s plans will put the visitors’ needs at the very heart of the project – this means that the galleries will be opened up and explained in a way that can appeal to a wide range of people. For example, there will be two ‘Discovery Areas’, a film theatre and a study area. Estimates predict that once the galleries are completed they will attract over 250,000 additional visitors. During the summer of the London Olympics in 2012 these figures could rise to considerably more.

Scottish revamp - The National Museums of Scotland has been earmarked a grant of £15.8 million plus a development grant of £1million. This funding will enable the organisation to transform the Royal Museum in Edinburgh.

The Museum, located in the heart of the city near Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, displays Scotland’s outstanding national collections ranging from world cultures, ancient civilisations, natural science and applied and decorative arts.

Desperately in need of a major revamp, this HLF money means that the Museum can start to plan for the redevelopment of 16 of its existing 28 galleries. Over three million items are currently in storage – the new-look Museum will have enough room to double the number of objects currently on display. There will also be a Learning Centre which will increase the Museum’s educational space by 300%.