Brunel's 200th birthday bash will go with an added bang thanks to a huge lottery grant. © Institution of Civil Engineers.

Plans for a year-long celebration of the life and work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel have been boosted following the announcement of a £980,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant towards the project.

Organised to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Victorian engineer’s birthday, Brunel 200 will see exhibitions, educational projects, publications and arts projects take place in Bristol and the South West throughout 2006.

It will also provide the lead for a series of national celebrations across the country, including Brunel-associated sites in London, South Wales and Portsmouth.

Clifton Suspension Bridge is among Brunel's most admired engineering feats. © Destination Bristol.

"I am delighted at this award," said Leslie Perrin, Chairman of Brunel 200. "We are passionately committed to making Brunel 200 a celebration that reaches everyone in Bristol and the South West, and this fantastic support from the Heritage Lottery Funds means that we can produce bigger and better exhibitions and education projects."

The HLF award comes on top of investment made already by the Millennium Commission and Arts Council England. It provides support for exhibitions, education, and the 2006 South West Great Reading Adventure, which encourages everyone to read the same book at the same time!

The bridge under construction - Brunel died five years before it was completed, but his design was faithfully followed by other engineers. © Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust.

Many of the events will centre on some of Brunel’s finest achievements, which litter the city of Bristol: the Great Western Railway, Clifton Suspension Bridge and ss Great Britain.

In all, the budget for the celebrations is a whopping £2,200,000.

"Over the last 10 years HLF has put almost £300 million into a huge range of projects in the South West, and Brunel 200 is one of the most dynamic and innovative schemes that I have seen in that time," explained Nerys Watts, South West Manager of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The ss Great Britain has been completely redeveloped and will reopen to the public in mid-July 2005. Courtesy ss Great Britain Trust.

"It will raise the profile of local heritage with people in Bristol and beyond, and really emphasise the continued importance of Brunel’s legacy in the contemporary environment."

In addition to the budget for Brunel 200, another £15 million is currently being invested in Bristol’s Brunel sites. As well as a new visitor centre at the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the ss Great Britain has been completely redeveloped and a significant part of the Brunel archive at the University of Bristol has been digitised.

Brunel's Great Western Railway Bristol terminus, now the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum. © British Empire and Commonwealth Museum.

"Brunel was the greatest engineer of the 19th century and remains an inspiration today," added Simon Cook, chair of the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, which is managing Brunel 200.

"Brunel 200 was always a key part of our 2008 Capital of Culture bid," he added. "When we did not win the 2008 award, we said that we would deliver anyway. Brunel 200 shows that we are keeping this promise and it will be a great addition to the region’s cultural calendar."

For further information, visit the Brunel 200 website at www.brunel200.com.