BURWELL Museum has been awarded more than �400,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards their new Fresh Wind in Our Sails project.

The project aims to restore the Grade II* listed Stevens’ Windmill and integrate and improve the displays across the mill and museum as a whole. Work will begin in the autumn and is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Stevens’ Windmill is one of two principal landmarks on the village’s horizon and one of the most significant and tangible links to the industrial past of the fen-edge community.

Burwell Museum Trust, which owns the windmill and the adjacent museum, is keen to repair and conserve the mill which has been closed to the public for more than two years due to safety concerns.

In July 2010 the windmill was included on the current Buildings at Risk Register.

James Paice, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, said: “This is fantastic news which recognises the superb work being done by the volunteers at Burwell Museum and will enable them to do even more for the community.”

Paul Hawes, chairman of the Trustees of Burwell Museum, added: “The trustees and volunteers here are very excited to receive the grant and support of the HLF after many years of hard work building up the museum.

“Many of us have memories of Stevens’ Mill and it will be wonderful to be able to open it fully to the public and share this part of our local history.”