The National Museum of Rural Life at Kittochside, East Kilbride, is offering free entry to National Lottery players from December 11-17.

The Museum is one of 350 participating National Lottery funded visitor attractions across the UK saying ‘thanks’ to people who have raised money for good causes by buying a lottery ticket.

The idea is simple: any visitor who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard from December 11-17 gets free entry in return.

The National Museum of Rural Life has received £3.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money helped to pay for the creation of the award-winning museum in 2001.

It is home to a 1950s working farm, where visitors can see Clydesdales, Tamworth pigs, sheep, Ayrshire cows, Aberdeen-Angus cattle and Highland cattle. The galleries in the modern museum building house a vast collection of farming equipment and displays telling the fascinating story of Scotland’s rural past.

Ros Kerslake, chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “December is a wonderful time to experience the UK’s rich, diverse and exciting heritage, which has been transformed by more than £7bn of National Lottery funding since 1994. This is a small gesture of thanks and a way of giving something back to the people who buy tickets.”

Shirley Maciver, general manager of the National Museum of Rural Life said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to create a striking and innovative museum to display National Museums Scotland’s rich collections related to Scotland’s rural past. The National Museum of Rural Life is a wonderful day out for the whole family, and our activity is supported by a diverse programme of events.”