The Connected Communities Project is interested in engaging with people and organisations across Wales who have an interest in WW1.
As the centenary of the great war approaches the Heritage Lottery Fund have announced funding opportunities for WW1 projects (see below.) The Connected Communities project would love to hear from anyone who has an interest in WW1 or is planning a project that focuses on The Great War as we hope to engage with and support WW1 projects across Wales (please contact Kate Spiller, Project Co-ordinator, for further details: k.spiller@swansea.ac.uk.)
HLF’S NEW FIRST WORLD WAR PROGRAMME OPENS
£6million for communities to mark the Centenary
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is launching First World War: then and now, a £6million small grants programme to help communities mark the Centenary of the First World War.
HLF is making at least £1million available per year for six years until 2019. It will provide grants between £3,000 and £10,000 enabling communities and groups right across theUKto explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.
Community groups including those from Denbighshire andSwanseaare helping to launch the scheme across theUK, by exploring what the legacy of the First World War means to them and sharing their stories and projects with others hoping to mark the Centenaries.
From the patriotic cartoons of J M Staniforth that cheered readers of the Western Mail inWalesthroughout the First World War, to the experiences of northWalessoldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, there are so many stories to be told and their legacy continues to impact and shape the lives of our communities today.
Sebastian Faulks CBE, broadcaster, novelist, author of Birdsong and member of the Government’s First World War Centenary advisory group, said: “HLF’s First World War small grants programme is an opportunity for every street, town or village to make sure they remember the cataclysmic events of a hundred years ago. It is a chance to learn and to commemorate in whatever way they choose.”
Jennifer Stewart, Head of HLF inWales, said: “The impact of the First World War was incredibly far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of theUKand beyond. The Heritage Lottery Fund’s new programme will enable communities inWalesto explore the continuing legacy of this war and help young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”
Successful projects will include:
- researching, identifying and recording local heritage;
- creating a community archive or collection;
- developing new interpretation of heritage through exhibitions, trails, smartphone apps etc; and
- researching, writing and performing creative material based on heritage sources.
The new programme can also provide funding for the conservation of war memorials.
If a grant of more than £10,000 is needed for a First World War project, applicants can apply to HLF through its other, open programmes. HLF has already invested £12million in projects throughout theUK – large and small – that will mark the Centenary of First World War.
If you have a project idea to mark the Centenary, an online application pack is available http://www.hlf.org.uk/ThenAndNow or for telephone enquiries please call the HLF Wales office on 029 2034 3413. (Or contact Kate Spiller, Connected Communities Project Co-ordinator, to work alongside the Connected Communities project as part of your WW1 project – k.spiller@swansea.ac.uk.)