I read with surprise the letter from Councillor Tony Shields on lottery funding (Your Say, January 31).

The Friends of Honeywood Museum have been part of the recent and very successful lottery bid to refurbish Honeywood Museum in Carshalton. 

We now have a beautifully restored and re-invigorated museum which is an outstanding asset for the borough.

To complement the restoration of the building, Sutton was invited by the Heritage Lottery Fund to apply for a grant to restore the Edwardian garden that surrounds the house. 

This project is almost ready to pass to the Heritage Lottery Fund for assessment and we are very hopeful that they will support the plans.

What makes Sutton so different from many other boroughs is that the council understand and appreciate the importance to us, the residents, of our museums and historic buildings, our libraries and our parks and gardens. 

These places make up the unique fabric of this area and as such deserve to be protected and enhanced.  If a lottery grant is the best way to do this then that is what we should use.

I urge Councillor Shields to visit Honeywood Museum to see what can be achieved with a lottery grant.

Sue Horne
Secretary
The Friends of Honeywood Museum