Birthplace of Peter Pan nets £5.3m funding

Millions of pounds has been raised to transform the birthplace of Peter Pan from a derelict building, into a major tourist attraction.

Moat Brae House, in Dumfries, was where J M Barrie played as a child, at the nearby Dumfries Academy in the 1870s.

He later described his time in Dumfries as "the happiest days of his life" and the garden as “enchanted land to me - the genesis of that nefarious work – Peter Pan”.

The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust was formed in 2009 to stop the house from being demolished, and they've now secured £5.3 million of capital funding.

The money will be used to create a visitor attraction which is expected to welcome 40,000 visitors a year from all round the world contributing a much-needed additional £1.3 million for the local economy.

It includes £1.78m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £680,000 from Creative Scotland and £500,000 from Dumfries and Galloway Council.

The centre is expected to open in 2018, and it's got the backing of one of the Trust's patrons, Joanna Lumley: