STAFF at York Art Gallery were celebrating today after the venue secured a £270,000 lottery windfall.

The gallery is to be given a revamp to improve facilities, increase audiences and create a learning space.

More than a quarter of a million pounds has been donated to the gallery by the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve the entrance and main gallery of the centre.

York Museums Trust aims to create a new gallery for temporary exhibitions in front of the main entrance and to create a learning space. Temporary exhibitions will now be accompanied by a learning programme that will involve schools and the public in the new learning space.

A new lighting rig will be installed with new wall coverings and a refurbished floor, while the permanent collection of paintings will be redisplayed in the rest of the gallery.

This will allow trust to improve the presentation the permanent collections and to showcase temporary exhibitions more effectively. There will also be improved public facilities such as toilets.

In addition to the £272,000 investment, the trust is seeking additional funding to create a caf in the foyer spilling out on to Exhibition Square, and to create a new shop, subject to planning permission. The trust will be announcing the timing of the project in the New Year - which will involve the gallery closing for a time while the works take place.

Trust chief executive Janet Barnes said: "We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this grant which will enable us to present an exciting exhibition and educational programme."

"We are very excited about the whole project which is aimed at increasing the quality of the visit to the York Art Gallery as well as being attractive to a much wider audience. We are specifically interested in young people and school children."

Ray Taylor, Heritage Lottery Fund Manager for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "This project will encourage more people, particularly those who haven't visited the gallery before, to come and enjoy what is a fantastic collection of art.

"The refurbishment will result in a much more effective use of space, enabling the gallery to further enhance the display of the collection."

Updated: 10:49 Tuesday, December 02, 2003