JODRELL Bank Discovery Centre is to boast a spectacular new gallery building after winning more than £16 million in funding for the £20.5 million project.

The funding is to come from The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Of the £16.1 million £12.1 million is thanks to National Lottery players, with a further £4 million coming from the Government.

The First Light at Jodrell Bank project will create a gallery building that will promote and celebrate Jodrell Bank’s world-leading place in the history of astronomy, and a pioneering chapter in British scientific and cultural history.

Jodrell Bank Observatory, which is part of The University of Manchester, was founded in 1945. It is the earliest radio astronomy observatory in the world still in existence and was a pioneer of the new science of radio astronomy.

The new facilities will house a new exhibition and engagement space, incorporating the original fabric of the 1957 dish of the telescope, an auditorium devoted to displaying immersive digital presentations, an education hub and a new café.

The First Light Project is all about connecting the widest range of people with the heritage of science and innovation, and will provide opportunities for people to become more involved in Jodrell Bank through education, group activities, volunteering and engagement.

The project, which will be delivered over the next three years, will create 19 new roles, increase visitor numbers and establish a volunteer programme.

Professor Teresa Anderson, director of Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, said: ‘’We are thrilled we have received this generous support thanks to National Lottery players and the DCMS.

“This funding will transform visitor engagement with the heritage of Jodrell Bank.

“It will enable us to properly relay, reveal, interpret and explain our story, so that a wider range of people, locally, nationally and worldwide, can understand and appreciate the unique turning point that occurred with the emergence of radio astronomy.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester added: ‘‘I am delighted by the announcement of this major funding.

“It will enable us to share Jodrell Bank’s fantastic stories and amazing feats of UK science and engineering with many thousands of visitors.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said: “We are committed to continuing the proud heritage Jodrell Bank represents by making the UK the world’s most innovative economy through our Modern Industrial Strategy.”