Cash for Jurassic Coast museums

The 95-mile stretch of Jurassic Coast is famous for its remarkable fossils

Museums in Dorset and Devon have been given £200,000 of lottery cash to spend on Jurassic Coast projects.

The money will help the Dorset County Museums Advisory Service purchase and display exceptional fossils in museums along the World Heritage Site.

The bid, called Jurassic Life, was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund's Collecting Cultures initiative.

Only 22 out of 95 bids were successful. The Jurassic Life bid was the only successful bid from the South West.

David Tucker, county museums adviser, said: "This funding will put spectacular, locally-discovered fossils in local museums for the benefit of residents and visitors.

"I think it is marvellous that people will be able to see such startling evidence of amazing animals near the seas in which they once lived."

Richard Edmonds, earth science manager for the Jurassic Coast, said: "There are a great many fossils out there, some of huge scientific and educational value and I am absolutely delighted that this level of support has finally been secured for local museums."

Dinosaur footprints

A number of museums, located in Swanage in Purbeck to Budleigh Salterton in East Devon, will benefit from the money.

The 95-mile stretch of coastline from Exmouth in east Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset was awarded World Heritage Site status in 2001.

It is considered one of the most significant earth science sites in the world with 190 million years of earth history and areas of outstanding beauty including Lulworth Cove, Old Harry Rocks and Chesil beach, in Dorset.

But it is most famous for its remarkable fossils such as dinosaur footprints.