LANCASHIRE'S has got an award, and the chance to share in a £15 million pot of cash, all sewn up.

The county museum service's Textile Industry Collections have been recognised as having national and international important by the Museums and Galleries Commission, and will receive a Designated Award.

The award will give the county access to a £15m Challenge Fund, of which the museums officer has already applied for a £150,000 share to go towards the refurbishment of the Helmshore Lancashire Yarn Project.

The Designation Panel, set up to decide which collections should receive the awards, said of Lancashire's textile memorabilia: "The range, quality and variety of the machines was outstanding, and the collection was of enormous significance in its coverage of the technical and industrial story of the cotton and wool industries in Lancashire and their worldwide importance."

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