Accessible Text Alternative for Map of Everyday Heritage Grants Recipients

Lead organisation: Cornwall Council

Total grant: £8,100.00

Summary: The project "A Cornish Camera - Bodmin at Work," led by Cornwall Council, ran from 10 August 2022 to 19 May 2023, in Bodmin, Cornwall.

Kresen Kernow and IntoBodmin connected local communities with Bodmin's working-class histories using photographs from the George Ellis Collection. Workshops hosted by IntoBodmin engaged locals with untold histories captured in the images. The project culminated in a celebration event, an exhibition, online content, and 200 digitised images.

The collection, containing 95,000 glass plate negatives from 1939-1982, sparked discussions and sharing, positively impacting participants' wellbeing, creativity, and connection.

Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/forCornwall

Postcode: TR15 1AS

Lead organisation: Museum of Homelessness

Total grant: £13,810.00

Summary: A People’s History of Finsbury Park was a project by the Museum of Homelessness in Finsbury Park, North London, running from 1 October 2022 to 2 October 2023.

It explored the area’s history through themes like urban planning, migration, squatting, and homelessness. The project delivered a public programme of events and activities, as well as a publication. Outputs were co-created with homeless and precariously housed people, providing a unique, class-based perspective on Finsbury Park’s history.

Find out more: The People’s History of Finsbury Park

Postcode: SE1 1RB

Lead organisation: Glenside Hospital Museum

Total grant: £11,760.00

Summary: Answering the Call was a project by Glenside Hospital Museum in Fishponds, Bristol, running from 26 August 2022 to 30 April 2024.

It explored the stories of nurses from Commonwealth countries who worked at Glenside Psychiatric Hospital from 1948 to 1994. A team of ex-nurses, students, and community members recorded oral histories and organized a participatory event to engage the local community. Supported by Glenside Hospital Museum, the project highlighted the significant contributions of Commonwealth nurses to the NHS and commemorated the dedication of current NHS staff during the pandemic.

Find out more: Answering the call

Postcode: BS16 1DD

Lead organisation: Fund a Fest CIC

Total grant: £20,550.00

Summary: ART History was a project by Fund a Fest CIC in Houghton-Le-Spring, Sunderland, running from 12 August 2022 to 13 April 2023.

It engaged young people in discovering Seaham’s industrial heritage beyond coal mining by exploring place names along the coastline. Names like Blast Beach revealed the history of various industries that supported local lives through jobs in domestic service, fishing, agriculture, and chemical works. Working with local artist Michelle Harland, the volunteers translated their discoveries into a mural design, celebrating the town’s diverse industrial past.

Postcode: SR3 3QN

Lead organisation: Queens Hall Arts

Total grant: £9,850.00

Summary: The Beneath Our Feet project, led by Queens Hall Arts, ran from 23 September 2022 to 26 October 2023, in West Northumberland.

With a grant of £9,850, this initiative involved 14 schools in exploring the region’s diminishing mining heritage and its global impact. The project engaged children and young people from reception to year 13, teaching them about miners' lives and communities through heritage site visits, talks from locals connected to mining, and archival research.

Three artists collaborated with the young participants to create artworks and resources, sharing this working-class history with their schools and the wider community. This project highlighted the importance of preserving local heritage and fostering intergenerational learning.

Find out more: Case Study: Exploring Working-Class Local Heritage with School Children

Postcode: NE46 3LS

Lead organisation: Four Corners

Total grant: £9,982.00

Summary: The Bengali Photography Archive project, led by Four Corners, ran from 31 August 2022 to 5 March 2024, in Tower Hamlets, East London.

This initiative partnered with local volunteers to create a new archive of photographs and oral histories by Bangladeshi residents of Brick Lane, known as Banglatown. Historically, much of the photographic material from this area was captured by outsiders. This project, however, focused on photography by the Bangladeshi community, who make up over 40% of the local population. The project culminated in a permanent physical and online archive, making these unique perspectives publicly accessible and preserving the rich cultural heritage of Banglatown.

Find out more: Case Study: Working with Volunteers to Address a Lack of Bengali Representation in Public Collections

Postcode: E2 0QN

Lead organisation: Convenience Gallery CIC

Total grant: £9,350.00

Summary: The Birkenhead's Working Class History project, led by Convenience Gallery CIC, ran from 15 September 2022 to 30 May 2023, in Birkenhead, The Wirral.

This initiative engaged the local community through research, workshops, story-sharing, and a community event to celebrate Birkenhead’s working-class heritage. The town's rich history includes Lairds Shipyards, Birkenhead Market, Birkenhead Park, The Laird School of Art, Mersey Ferries, Birkenhead Priory, and Tranmere Rovers FC. The project ensured that all participants contributed to showcasing a place where ordinary people work and live, highlighting the importance of community involvement in preserving local history.

Find out more: Blog for Working Class History of Birkenhead

Postcode: CH41 5FQ

Lead organisation: Selly Manor Museum

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Building Bourneville project, led by Selly Manor Museum, ran from 7 December 2022 to 15 November 2023, in Bourneville, Birmingham.

This co-curated initiative uncovered hidden stories of everyday working people who lived and worked in George Cadbury’s garden village. The project was guided by the interests of three community groups: The Bournville Society, a student collective, and a group of Bournville residents. Through their collaboration, the project highlighted the rich history and contributions of the local community, preserving and celebrating the unique heritage of Bourneville.

Find out more: Building Bournville - an Audio Guide

Postcode: B30 2AE

Lead organisation: Ripon Museum Trust 

Total grant: £10,700.00

Summary: Disabled People & the Ripon Workhouse was a project by Ripon Museum Trust in Ripon, North Yorkshire, running from 26 August 2022 to 3 November 2023.

It uncovered the stories of disabled people who were inmates or staff at Ripon Workhouse from Victorian times to the 1940s. Using archival records, a group of people with physical and learning disabilities researched and produced creative responses. Supported by curatorial volunteers and an artist specializing in co-curation, they created new interpretation materials for the museum’s permanent display, integrating these powerful and personal stories.

Find out more: Stories of disabled people in the Criminal Justice System in Ripon in the Victorian era

Postcode: HG4 1LE

Lead organisation: Godolphin Cross Community Association 

Total grant: £9,760.00

Summary: The Downstairs, Downstairs project, led by Godolphin Cross Community Association, ran from 26 August 2022 to 6 June 2023, in Godolphin Cross, Cornwall.

Volunteers, including young people and isolated older individuals, conducted research on the lives of ordinary working-class men, women, and children in this rural village. This initiative aimed to uncover and document the everyday experiences and histories of the local community, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the village's heritage. The project brought together different generations, promoting community engagement and preserving the rich history of Godolphin Cross.

Find out more: Godolphin Cross Community Association

Postcode: TR13 9RA

Lead organisation: 2FunkyArts

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Exploring Leicester's Hidden Nightlife project, led by 2FunkyArts, ran from 26 August 2022 to 4 October 2023, in Leicester.

This initiative explored 50 years of Leicester’s nightlife, focusing on Music of Black Origin (MOBO) genres such as hip hop, soul, reggae, and jazz. Volunteers created a portable exhibition featuring photography and personal anecdotes, examining the city’s cultural landscape and nightclub venues. The exhibition also highlighted first-hand oral histories from the era. This celebration of culture and music was strongly influenced by working-class people, particularly those with Black, African, and Caribbean heritage, preserving and showcasing Leicester's rich cultural history.

Postcode: LE1 6FD

Lead organisation: Starling

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: Fault Lines was a project by Starling in Ordsall, Salford, running from 14 October 2022 to 6 September 2023.

It documented the rich histories of working-class communities through aural history interviews, music, creative writing, and podcasting. Collaborating with local organizations like the New Barracks Association and Salford Lads Club, and supported by five young Community Reporter volunteers, the project created a musical and aural history trail. This trail was displayed via QR codes at local landmarks and made available online as a digital archive, preserving the memories of at least 60 local residents.

Find out more: Fault Lines

Postcode: M1 1FR

Lead organisation: History In Action CIC

Total grant: £24,925.00

Summary: Fountains of Tales was a project by History In Action CIC in Oastler, Bradford, running from 23 September 2022 to 19 July 2023.

It captured the history of Oastler Market as it wound down operations while the new Darley Street Market developed. Working with the community, the project recorded oral histories and crafted them into a theatre piece celebrating the market’s shared story and collective history. The community performed the play in the market before its demolition in 2023, bringing the past to life and sharing the heritage with new audiences.

Find out more: Fountains of Tales

Postcode: BD6 1SR

Lead organisation: Out of the Archive CIC

Total grant: £20,810.50

Summary: Gwenda's Garage: The Untold Story of Lesbian Mechanics** was a project by Out of the Archive CIC in Neepsend, Sheffield, running from 19 August 2022 to 11 December 2023.

Founded by Nicky Hallett and Val Regan, the project involved writers, musicians, performers, and academics. It produced a script-in-hand musical about Gwenda’s Garage, with two sold-out performances in November 2023 at the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. Alongside the musical, an exhibition and public workshop were held to memorialise Gwenda’s Garage, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the repeal of Section 28 in England. The exhibition attracted 130,000 visitors.

Find out more: Gwenda’s Garage: The 1980s Sheffield Garage Run by Women Mechanics

Postcode: S11 7EW

Lead organisation: verd de gris arts

Total grant: £10,000

Summary: The Halifax Stars project, led by verd de gris arts, ran from 30 September 2022 to 5 September 2023, in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

This intergenerational initiative aimed to explore and celebrate the working-class culture of boxing clubs in the area. It recorded the stories of older fighters and documented the gyms that were once prominent features of Halifax. Led by the boxing community and young people, the project produced filmed oral history interviews, maps of key sites, an exhibition, and a series of events. This effort preserved and highlighted the rich boxing heritage of Halifax, fostering community pride and intergenerational connections.

Find out more: Case Study: Engaging Working Class Young Men with Local Sporting Heritage

Postcode: HX7 8HF

Lead organisation: Capture Art & Creative Projects Ltd

Total grant: £11,440.00

Summary: Hidden Deptford was a project by Capture Art & Creative Projects Ltd in Deptford, South East London, running from 7 October 2022 to 25 October 2023.

It focused on the origins of the “gut girls,” who worked in the Cattle Markets at the end of the 19th century. Over 500 women were employed in these offal yards, known for their fierce independence and raucous behavior. In partnership with The Albany and Deptford Library, the project involved young people in creating arts, crafts, and photography, celebrating the untold legacy of the gut girls and the working-class histories of the area. The content was made available online and locally.

Postcode: SE23 1AS

Lead organisation: MSDS Heritage

Total grant: £9,925.00

Summary: The Holbrook's Hidden Heritage project, led by MSDS Heritage, ran from 12 August 2022 to 17 October 2023, in Holbrook, Derbyshire.

This initiative uncovered new stories about local individuals and their homes, linking them to the large industrial complexes in the nearby Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

Find out more: Holbrook's Hidden Heritage

Postcode: DE56 0TU

Lead organisation: Capsule

Total grant: £15,325.00

Summary: Home of Metal - Grindcore at the Mermaid was a project by Capsule in Sparkhill, Birmingham, running from 8 August 2022 to 3 July 2023.

It documented the beginnings of the grindcore genre at The Mermaid pub. The project was co-created with musicians, fans, and volunteers, resulting in events, oral histories, a publication, a podcast, and the creation of an archive. This initiative celebrated the rich musical heritage of the area and preserved the early history of grindcore.

Find out more: At the Mermaid: Punk, Metal and Grindcore in 1980s Birmingham

Postcode: B9 4AT

Lead organisation: Wildwood Days CIC

Total grant: £12,282.00

Summary: Lost Farms of Brinscall Moors was a project by Wildwood Days CIC in Brinscall Moor, Chorley, Lancashire, running from 19 August 2022 to 18 August 2023.

It brought the history of Lancashire’s hill farming to life by collaborating with local community groups, schools, churches, and Withnell Parish Council. The project collected and recorded people’s memories, using farm ruins as focal points. Local people created sign boards with links to audio and video recordings, developed a website, and organized family events and guided walks with themed activities to promote local heritage.

Find out more: Lost Farms of Brinscall Moors

Postcode: PR6 8SP

Lead organisation: Birmingham Peoples History Archive 

Total grant: £7,225.00

Summary: The Making History project, led by Birmingham Peoples History Archive, ran from 1 August 2022 to 5 February 2024, in Birmingham.

Students and retired workers recorded interviews about working life, using archival resources for background. Young people from local primary, secondary, and special schools created artwork for permanent display. Community workshops helped plan the archive’s future. The project also collected new oral histories, produced maps of historic sites, and developed tours and workshops.

This initiative highlighted the importance of preserving local history and engaged the community in celebrating Birmingham's rich heritage.

Find out more: Birmingham People's History Archive

Postcode: B12 0BS

Lead organisation: The Mildmay Club

Total grant: £9,997.00

Summary: The Mildmay Stories project, led by The Mildmay Club, ran from 8 August 2022 to 3 March 2023, in Newington Green, East London.

Club members and volunteers recorded and transcribed oral histories, co-creating an audio tour and physical tours of a rare surviving Victorian working men's club. This initiative preserved the rich history of the club, providing insights into its past and the lives of its members. The project highlighted the importance of community heritage and engaged participants in celebrating and documenting the unique stories associated with this historic venue.

Find out more: Mildmay Stories

Postcode: N16 9PR

Lead organisation: On the Record CIC

Total grant: £9,455.00

Summary: The Moments of Grace project, led by On the Record CIC, ran from 26 August 2022 to 27 March 2024, at St Thomas' Hospital in South East London.

This site-specific, semi-permanent installation highlighted oral testimonies through a bespoke sound and light composition. The project commemorated the hidden histories of keyworkers at St Thomas’ Hospital, the birthplace of the nursing profession. Young volunteers conducted interviews and produced audio stories about historic nurses, connecting the past, present, and future of nursing. This initiative celebrated the contributions of keyworkers and preserved the rich heritage of nursing at St Thomas' Hospital.

Find out more: Case Study: Using Trauma-informed Approaches to Uncover Sensitive Stories

Postcode: SE5 9HW

Lead organisation: Red Brick Building Centre

Total grant: £23,065.00

Summary: Morland & Baily’s was a project by Red Brick Building Centre in Glastonbury, Somerset, running from 30 September 2022 to 20 December 2023.

It was a volunteer-led initiative that worked with young people and various partner groups to co-create physical and digital exhibitions. The project also offered traditional skill-building opportunities and developed a trail related to the former Morlands sheepskin factory, celebrating the area’s industrial heritage and engaging the community in preserving its history.

Find out more: Morland & Baily's

Postcode: BA6 9FT

Lead organisation: Mediale

Total grant: £21,600.00

Summary: Navvies was a project by Mediale in Media City, Salford, running from 23 September 2022 to 15 February 2023.

It commemorated the 17,000 anonymous labourers who dug the Manchester Ship Canal. In collaboration with Quays Culture and Peel L&P, artist Matthew Rosier worked with local volunteers and heritage experts to research the canal workers’ stories and create a community allotment memorial. The project included community events celebrating local working-class and Irish heritage, participation in the Lightworks festival, and a recording with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Find out more: Case Study: Creating a Lasting Legacy Celebrating Workers' History with Homeless People

Postcode: YO8 4EQ

Lead organisation: Creative Lives

Total grant: £10,422.00

Summary: Northern Souls was a project by Creative Lives in Easington, County Durham, running from 26 August 2022 to 20 September 2023.

In partnership with Easington Social Welfare Centre and BBC Radio Tees, the project focused on the Welfare Centre, known locally as “The Welly,” which was built in 1929 to support miners’ welfare. The project produced oral histories, workshops, radio content, an audio timeline, online content, an event, and an exhibition, celebrating the community’s rich history and heritage.

Find out more: Northern Souls – Down The Welly

Postcode: SR8

Lead organisation: Friends of Horton Cemetary Charity 

Total grant: £9,988.10

Summary: The Out of Sight, Out of Mind project, led by Friends of Horton Cemetery Charity, ran from 14 September 2022 to 4 March 2024, in Horton, Epsom, Surrey.

This digital and arts-based initiative amplified research by over 50 volunteers to reconstruct the biographical histories of thousands buried in ‘pauper graves’ within the UK's largest abandoned hospital cemetery. The project included the co-creation of 900 ceramic flowers to commemorate former psychiatric patients without memorials, alongside an exhibition and crafting workshops. This effort honored the lives of those forgotten, preserving their stories and fostering community remembrance.

Find out more: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Postcode: KT19 8AY

Lead organisation: Blue Bermondsey BID

Total grant: £24,920.00

Summary: Out of the Blue was a project by Blue Bermondsey BID in Bermondsey, South East London, running from 23 September 2022 to 28 February 2024.

It explored and illuminated the stories of the Blue, a community in South Bermondsey, focusing on its industrial and commercial history and the contributions of Irish migrants and the Windrush generation. The project, in collaboration with volunteers, residents, community groups, and traders, provided intergenerational volunteering opportunities. It culminated in an exhibition and festival events at the Blue, showcasing the area’s multicultural heritage and the stories of its working-class minority populations.

Find out more: Case Study: Responding to Local Needs Through Heritage to Increase a Sense of Belonging and Cohesion

Postcode: SE16 3RN

Lead organisation: Stomping Grounds Forest School CIC

Total grant: £16,410.00

Summary: Out of the Woods was a project by Stomping Grounds Forest School CIC in Northumberland and Gateshead, running from 8 August 2022 to 2 October 2023.

Twenty young neurodivergent people collected and shared stories of two post-industrial woodlands, planted after the closure of mines. They created digital audio interpretations, which were made available through community events and self-led walks, celebrating the transformation and history of these woodlands.

Find out more: Out of the Woods

Postcode: NE17 7AQ

Lead organisation: PossAbilities

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Peel Street Mill and its People project, led by PossAbilities, ran from 11 October 2022 to 15 September 2023, in Heywood, Greater Manchester.

This initiative highlighted the stories of former workers from Peel Street Mill, a former textile mill. PossAbilities, a social enterprise supporting 400 people with learning disabilities, is headquartered on the mill site. Co-created with the people PossAbilities supports and the local community, the project built a picture of the working-class lives that lie beneath the places where this community lives and works. Outputs included web content, a publication, teaching resources for schools, films, animations, artworks, a physical model of the site as it was, and a walking trail in their local wellbeing garden.

Find out more: Peel Street Mill and its people

Postcode: OL10 4SY

Lead organisation: DigVentures

Total grant: £23,945.00

Summary: People of Jane Pit was a project by DigVentures in Workington, Cumbria, running from 26 August 2022 to 11 December 2023.

It engaged young people in revealing and celebrating the contributions of miners to Workington’s history and development. The project used film, a digital trail, and Minecraft 3D models to bring these stories to life, highlighting the significant impact of the mining community on the town’s growth and heritage.

Find out more: Case Study: Building Young People’s Heritage Skills Through Active Participation and Co-creation

Postcode: DL12 8JB

Lead organisation: Studio Voltaire

Total grant: £25,000.00

Summary: The “Radical Histories” project, led by Studio Voltaire in Lambeth, South London, ran from 15 August 2022 to 7 March 2024.

It brought the local community together to explore the shared history of Rectory Gardens and the Clapham South Bomb Shelter, both affected by WWII bomb damage. Through creative heritage activities, the project addressed themes like migration, Black history, and housing precarity. Local young people and residents collaborated with artists and historians, sharing stories and learning new skills. The project culminated in a school programme, public events, and an exhibition, fostering local resilience and engagement.

Find out more: Case Study: Telling Overlooked Local Stories Through Ambitious Heritage Programming

Postcode: SW4 7JR

Lead organisation: The Sikh Development Academy

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Rags to Riches project, led by The Sikh Development Academy, ran from 12 August 2022 to 15 September 2023, in Smethwick, Birmingham.

This co-created initiative involved young people in collecting stories from Sikh mothers who migrated from Punjab, India, to Smethwick. The project aimed to give voice to these unheard stories and culminated in the creation of a tapestry depicting their experiences. This effort highlighted the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Sikh community in Smethwick, preserving their stories for future generations and fostering a deeper understanding of their journey and impact.

Find out more: Case Study: Uncovering the Role of Sikh Mothers in Smethwick's Industrial Heritage

Postcode: B16 8PE

Lead organisation: Steam Hubs & Pubs CIC

Total grant: £24,555.00

Summary: Remembering Greenhey’s & Len Johnson was a project by Steam Hubs & Pubs CIC in Moss Side/Hulme, Manchester, running from 2 September 2022 to 7 September 2023.

It told the story of the diverse communities around The Old Abbey Taphouse, the last remaining building of the Greenhey’s Estate. The pub is linked to Len Johnson, a black British boxer who fought against the ‘Colour Bar’ and championed racial equality. The project included community-led events and activities such as podcasts, documentaries, and a youth-led event with a play and music, celebrating this proud working-class area.

Find out more: Case Study: Addressing Sensitive Topics Through Heritage Projects 

Postcode: M15 6SY

Lead organisation: Philip Astley Projects CIC

Total grant: £24,450.00

Summary: Show People of North Staffordshire was a project by Philip Astley Projects CIC, running from 26 August 2022 to 5 October 2023.

It uncovered the stories of show people in North Staffordshire, highlighting the joy and entertainment they brought to working-class communities, as well as the employment opportunities, traditions, and skills they developed. The project showcased the hard lives of families and workers involved in circuses and fairgrounds. Outputs included portraits, podcasts, a touring exhibition, public talks, and the creation of an archive, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the show people.

Postcode: ST3 7PL

Lead organisation: Dunston Community Centre

Total grant: £6,450.00

Summary: The Staiths & Me project, led by Dunston Community Centre, engaged local youth aged 15-20 to celebrate the Staiths.

Running from 1 September 2022 to 11 December 2023, in Dunston, Gateshead, the project used film, sound, storyboards, song, and pictures to help young people express what the Staiths means to them. They learned about its historical impact on their area and its current value.

The project highlighted the Staiths' importance to locals, shared stories of working people, and provided a rich, enjoyable experience for the public. This initiative emphasized community heritage and youth engagement.

Postcode: NE11 9EB

Lead organisation: Footprints Theatre Company CIC

Total grant: £24,985.00

Summary: Stowmarket’s Stories was a project by Footprints Theatre Company CIC in Stowmarket, Suffolk, running from 26 August 2022 to 2 October 2023.

It uncovered the stories of people living and working in rural East Anglia. The project created oral histories and an archive of stories, leading to workshops, drama performances, a heritage trail with site-specific performances, an exhibition, and a summer school for young people. Footprints Theatre Company CIC aimed to animate spaces and break barriers between audience, performer, and space through exciting original performances.

Find out more: Stowmarket's Stories

Postcode: CO4 0LF

Lead organisation: The Active Wellbeing Society

Total grant: £17,850.00

Summary: Tales of Tyseley was a project by The Active Wellbeing Society in Tyseley, Birmingham, running from 20 September 2022 to 5 September 2023.

Community researchers were trained to produce an exhibition at Hay Hall Manor House. This community-led storytelling initiative celebrated the lives of ordinary people who lived in the area, highlighting their stories and contributions. The project fostered a sense of community pride and connection through shared histories and experiences.

Find out more: Tales of Tyseley

Postcode: B11 2BE

Lead organisation: Stevenage Museum

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Talking Shop project, led by Stevenage Museum, ran from 28 October 2022 to 28 February 2023, in Stevenage, Herts.

This initiative engaged people of all generations to celebrate the everyday lives of working-class individuals who contributed to the town centre’s heritage. The museum recruited and trained volunteers, including local students and older long-term residents, to conduct research and record oral histories. These stories were documented for future generations. The project also collaborated with volunteers and local artists to co-produce creative celebrations for the community through an exhibition, workshops, and drama performances, highlighting the town's rich history.

Find out more: Talking Shop

Postcode: SG1 1XX

Lead organisation: Gunnersbury Estate (2026) CIC

Total grant: £22,760.00

Summary: Temples of Industry was a project by Gunnersbury Estate (2026) CIC in Gunnersbury, West London, running from 1 September 2022 to 14 November 2023.

It explored the impact of heavy industry in Ealing and Hounslow through the stories of three significant buildings and their workers. The project highlighted the destruction of a heritage building, the longest-running equal pay strike by women, and the employment of migrant workers. Led by Gunnersbury Park Museum, volunteer Citizen Researchers collaborated with locals to collect oral histories and create a documentary film. The content was compiled into a digital exhibition, co-created with project participants.

Find out more: Temples of Industry

Postcode: W5 4NH

Lead organisation: Show of Strength Theatre Company 

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Bristol Girls was a project by Show of Strength Theatre Company, running from 10 January 2023 to 5 February 2024.

It worked with convicted offenders to uncover the hidden stories of women on the 1817 convict ship, The Friendship. Most of the 101 women aboard, including ten from Bristol Newgate Prison, were sentenced for property crimes. The project, in partnership with The University of the West of England, included workshops that encouraged reflections on the experiences of women in prison today. The outcomes and findings were shared online.

Find out more: The Bristol Girls

Postcode: BS3 3DN

Lead organisation: NW Heritage CIC

Total grant: £6,081.20

Summary: The Fog Bell project, led by NW Heritage CIC, transformed the empty fog bell building near Southport shore into a micro museum.

Running from 20 January to 27 November 2023, this initiative involved local schools, churches, the North Meols Family History Society, North Meols Civic Society, and the Southport Lifeboat crew. They created interpretation boards, family trees, oral recordings, and videos to tell the stories of coastal life and lifesaving efforts.

The project preserved historical artifacts, engaged the community, and highlighted the importance of local history, ensuring the legacy of Southport’s maritime heritage was remembered and cherished.

Find out more: The Fog Bell

Postcode: PR9 8ER

Lead organisation: Littlehampton Town Football Club

Total grant: £9,200.00

Summary: The Golds: 125 Years project, led by Littlehampton Town Football Club, ran from 14 December 2022 to 12 March 2024, in Littlehampton, West Sussex.

This intergenerational, co-created initiative marked the club's 150th anniversary by collecting oral histories, conducting research, recording match chants and songs, creating a publication, and sharing stories through radio and social media. The project celebrated the club's rich history and engaged the community in preserving and sharing its legacy. Through these activities, the project fostered a deeper connection among fans and highlighted the cultural significance of the club in the local area.

Postcode: BN17 5NN

Lead organisation: Stitched Up Community Benefit Society Ltd

Total grant: £9,984.00

Summary: The Kathleen Project, led by Stitched Up Community Benefit Society Ltd, ran from 15 September 2022 to 2 October 2023, in Stretford, Manchester.

Inspired by an unknown textile worker, this initiative uncovered hidden stories from individuals who worked in Manchester’s renowned clothing and textile industry from the 1940s onwards. The project revealed the lasting impact of this industry on workers and their communities.

The Kathleen Project captured these stories through audio recordings of first-hand accounts, as well as photo and video documentation. The content is available online and was showcased in a local exhibition at a pop-up shop in Stretford, preserving and celebrating the rich history of Manchester's textile industry.

Find out more: The Kathleen Project

Postcode: M32 9BB

Lead organisation: Morecambe Heritage 

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Landladies of Morecambe project, led by Morecambe Heritage, ran from 23 September 2022 to 17 November 2023, in Morecambe, Lancashire.

This initiative created oral histories, films, an exhibition at Morecambe Heritage Centre, and web articles exploring the lives of landladies and landlords who ran bed and breakfasts in Morecambe until the 1980s. During that time, Morecambe was a popular holiday destination for working-class families from Northern England and Scotland. By interviewing landladies, landlords, their children, and customers, the project recorded valuable working-class archival information, preserving these stories before they were lost forever.

Find out more: The Landladies of Morecambe

Postcode: LA1 5BW

Lead organisation: MED Theatre

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Stark Reality of Rural Living was a project by MED Theatre in Dartmoor, South Devon, running from 26 August 2022 to 24 May 2023.

In partnership with local museums and history groups, MED Theatre mentored multigenerational community volunteers to research and conduct oral history interviews with individuals who worked or still work on Dartmoor. The project culminated in an exhibition at the Museum of Dartmoor Life and a co-created community play, showcasing the collected histories and experiences.

Find out more: The Stark Reality of Rural Living

Postcode: TQ13 8PE

Lead organisation: University of Gloucestershire

Total grant: £9,776.00

Summary: The Tin Chapel at the Edge of Town project, led by the University of Gloucestershire, ran from 5 August 2022 to 11 January 2024, in Cinderford, Forest of Dean.

This initiative explored the history of Bilson Mission chapel, a ‘tin tabernacle,’ highlighting its origins and significance in serving colliers, iron workers, their families, and traveller communities. Iron buildings, unique to the local architecture, emerged as utility structures for the rapidly growing working-class community.

The project engaged Cinderford residents, training volunteers in digital storytelling and collaborating with them to write and record personal stories about their families' connections to the chapel. This effort preserved and celebrated the rich heritage of the Forest of Dean.

Find out more: The Tin Chapel at the Edge of Town

Postcode: GL50 2RH

Lead organisation: Eastern Angles Theatre Company

Total grant: £20,000.00

Summary: The Work Furnace was a project by Eastern Angles Theatre Company in Ipswich, Suffolk, running from 26 August 2022 to 12 September 2023.

It featured a community street procession with banners, props, and puppets, using the furnace/oven symbol to unite Ipswich’s industrial heyday. The project produced an audio heritage trail exploring industrial sites and workers, an exhibition, and a printed booklet. Led by Eastern Angles Theatre Company, the project combined heritage with theatre to bring regional stories and hidden histories to life.

Find out more: The Work Furnace

Postcode: IP1 2LQ

Lead organisation: Live Well in Braunton

Total grant: £9,885.00

Summary: The Trains Gone By project, led by Live Well in Braunton, ran from 26 August 2022 to 4 March 2024, in Braunton, North Devon.

This initiative installed a distinctive green Southern carriage in the village car park to serve as a focal point for sharing memories of how the railways transformed local life. The project explored the history of the railway and the people who worked on it.

The Braunton Men in Sheds group based themselves in the railway carriage, welcoming the public and collecting oral histories, photos, and objects. This project highlighted the significant impact of the railways on the community and preserved the rich heritage of Braunton's railway history.

Find out more: Trains Gone By

Postcode: EX33 2LY

Lead organisation: Whaley Bridge Canal Group CIC

Total grant: £13,018.95

Summary: Transhipment Tales was a project by Whaley Bridge Canal Group CIC in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, running from 7 October 2022 to 17 January 2024.

Local school children researched the lives of working-class people in the High Peak town from the early industrial revolution to the present day. The project culminated in a launch event that showcased their findings through a performance and art exhibition. This event highlighted Whaley Bridge’s Grade II* Transhipment Warehouse, which played a crucial role in transporting coal and lime to Manchester. The project brought the community together to celebrate their local heritage.

Postcode: SK23 7LS

Lead organisation: Friends of St Thomas Pendleton

Total grant: £9,956.00

Summary: The Unearthing Pendleton's Past project, led by Friends of St Thomas Pendleton and the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service, ran from 19 August 2022 to 9 January 2024, in Pendleton, Salford.

This initiative involved the congregation, local community, Iranian refugees and asylum seekers, Salford Veterans, two schools, and a mental health charity.

The project removed turf in two areas, revealing gravestones beneath. Research on those buried illuminated the lives of the working-class people who contributed to Pendleton's growth during the industrial revolution. Their stories were displayed on interpretation boards within the graveyard, preserving and celebrating the area's rich heritage.

Postcode: M27 0EE

Lead organisation: Writing East Midlands

Total grant: £16,961.00

Summary: We.Are.Derby was a project by Writing East Midlands in Derby, running from 20 August 2022 to 15 September 2023.

It engaged the local community in exploring and celebrating their diverse stories and heritage. Through a series of workshops, events, and creative writing activities, participants shared their personal narratives and experiences. The project culminated in a public exhibition and a published anthology, showcasing the rich cultural tapestry of Derby and fostering a sense of pride and connection among its residents.

Find out more: We.Are.Derby

Postcode: NG1 1PU

Lead organisation: Acta

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: Welcome to the Hippodrome was a project by Acta in Bedminster, Bristol, running from 26 August 2022 to 17 October 2023.

The Pick N Mix theatre company, consisting of adults facing poor mental health and isolation, collaborated with professional theatre makers, artists, and a local choir. Together, they created a music hall-style performance and an animated programme about The Bedminster Hippodrome, a historic music hall and cinema that operated from 1911 until it was bombed in 1941. This project aimed to improve participants’ wellbeing and foster community connections.

Find out more: Welcome to the Hippodrome

Postcode: BA3 3AY

Lead organisation: Creative Youth Opportunities

Total grant: £11,124.00

Summary: What the Places Tell Us was a project by Creative Youth Opportunities in Seaham, County Durham, running from 8 September 2022 to 5 September 2023.

Young people from Seaham explored the area’s agricultural, chemical works, fishing, and maritime working-class heritage. Led by Creative Youth Opportunities and Young Volunteers, they collaborated with a local artist to paint a mural based on their research, celebrating the rich history and heritage of their community.

Postcode: SR7 0JX

Lead organisation: Multistory

Total grant: £16,351.00

Summary: Women & Work was a project by Multistory in West Bromwich, Sandwell, running from 30 November 2022 to 9 August 2023.

It documented the stories of working-class women employed at the Kenrick and Jefferson (K&J) Print Works from the 1950s to the 1990s. The project recorded their stories, collected photos and objects, and produced an exhibition. A pamphlet, available in print and digital formats, charted the history of these women’s lives. The project examined the links between liberalism and feminism, celebrating the contributions of local women to factory work and the town’s industrial heritage.

Find out more: Women & Work

Postcode: B70 8DY

Lead organisation: Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust 

Total grant: £9,950.00

Summary: The Working from Home project, led by Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (GYPT) in partnership with Reprezent Project, ran from 5 December 2022 to 18 December 2023, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

This initiative delivered three main outputs: poetry workshops, a large-scale street mural, and a photographic series documenting working-class migration. The photographs contrasted participants’ places of origin with their new lives in Great Yarmouth.

GYPT focused on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Great Yarmouth with a community-centered approach. Reprezent Project, a community-led social enterprise, engaged people at risk of socio-economic exclusion through art and culture. This project fostered dynamic and inclusive artistic activities, highlighting the importance of cultural heritage and community engagement.

Postcode: NR30 2PQ

Lead organisation: Newbigin Community Trust 

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The Youth Blacksmithing Programme, led by Newbigin Community Trust, ran from 1 September 2022 to 9 October 2023, in Winson Green and Handsworth, Birmingham.

This project provided young people aged 15-19 with the opportunity to learn traditional blacksmithing skills. The Trust’s blacksmithing group, ‘Smashing Metal,’ celebrated the community, its youth, and local industrial heritage. The project highlighted the city’s working-class heritage and offered facilities for young people to explore new creative skills, training them to teach these skills themselves. The young blacksmiths created jewellery, ornaments, and trinkets, and transformed knives donated by West Midlands Police into a public art sculpture displayed at a local community hub.

Find out more: Case Study: Using Heritage Projects to Create Opportunities for Young People to Learn New Skills

Postcode: B18 4PT

Lead organisation: Cultural Appropriate Resources

Total grant: £23,500.00

Summary: The “56 Burngreave Road - Learning from Our Past…” project, led by Cultural Appropriate Resources, ran from 26 January 2024 to 2 May 2025, in Sheffield.

It created a new archive documenting the heritage of Blackpool’s working-class African and Caribbean community and their connections to local places and buildings. The project involved the Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre African Caribbean Friends and Relations Association (AFRA) and the wider community, who contributed stories, images, and videos. Volunteers were trained to take photographs and record oral histories, resulting in new photographs, films, and place-themed artworks. The permanent collection is available online and at AFRA’s new venue.

Postcode: S3 8JD

Lead organisation: East Kent Mencap

Total grant: £7,510.00

Summary: The “A Day in the Life of” project, led by East Kent Mencap in Ramsgate, focused on adults with learning disabilities.

Participants engaged in various activities designed to enhance their skills and confidence. Through workshops and community events, they shared their daily experiences and challenges. The project provided a platform for these individuals to express themselves creatively and connect with the broader community, fostering understanding and inclusion.

Postcode: CT11 9RT

Lead organisation: Deeplish Community Centre

Total grant: £12,900.00

Summary: The “A Deep Dive into Deeplish” project, led by Deeplish Community Centre in Rochdale, ran from 21 February 2024 to 22 January 2025.

It engaged the local community in exploring and documenting the history and culture of Deeplish. Through workshops, events, and collaborative activities, participants shared their stories and experiences. The project aimed to foster a sense of pride and connection among residents, culminating in a public exhibition that showcased the rich heritage and diverse narratives of the Deeplish community.

Postcode: OL11 1JT

Lead organisation: Nonsuch Theatre Limited

Total grant: £16,280.00

Summary: The “At the Bandstand: 80 Years of Story” project, led by Nonsuch Theatre Limited, ran from 4 March 2024 to 2 December 2024, in Nottingham.

It aimed to revive the memories and histories of the Art Deco Bandstand at Victoria Embankment. Collaborating with a local artist facilitator, community groups reimagined the bandstand’s use and contributed to a legacy exhibition mapping its history. The team and community members investigated and catalogued the social history of the bandstand, its surroundings, and the people who frequented it, highlighting past performances and gatherings on summer evenings and weekends.

Find out more: At the bandstand: 80 years of story

Postcode: NG1 1EH

Lead organisation: acta Community Theatre

Total grant: £18,870.00

Summary: The “Bedminster Union Workhouse” project, led by acta Community Theatre, ran from 19 January 2024 to 11 April 2025, in Bristol.

It explored the history of the Grade II listed Bedminster Union Workhouse, built in 1838. Using archive material, local history research, and community knowledge, the project examined the lives of poor working-class individuals and their treatment in the workhouse. Participants also explored the building’s later uses as an asylum and psychiatric hospital. Through theatre, poetry, and photography, the project aimed to reduce loneliness, increase skills and confidence, and improve community cohesion.

Find out more: Bedminster Union Workhouse

Postcode: BS3 3AY

Lead organisation: Yesterday's Story

Total grant: £9,950.00

Summary: The “C&T Harris Bacon Factory Oral Histories” project, led by Yesterday’s Story in Cherhill, ran from 19 January 2024 to 25 April 2025.

It worked with former employees to create an oral history archive, exploring their work, life, and friendships at the factory. Operating since the 1770s and demolished in the 1980s, the factory was a significant part of Calne’s identity. Supported by Calne Heritage Centre volunteers, the project preserved these stories at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, ensuring the factory’s legacy remained accessible to the local community.

Postcode: SN11 8XR

Lead organisation: CEE NOTTS

Total grant: £9,409.00

Summary: The “Capturing Shadows of the Past” project, led by CEE NOTTS in Mansfield Woodhouse, ran from 12 February to 31 October 2024.

It focused on Central and Eastern European communities, engaging them in exploring and documenting their heritage. Through workshops and community events, participants shared their histories and cultural traditions. The project aimed to preserve and celebrate these stories, fostering a sense of pride and connection among community members. It culminated in a public exhibition, showcasing the collected narratives and highlighting the rich cultural tapestry of the region.

Postcode: NG19

Lead organisation: St Peter's Brighton

Total grant: £10,450.00

Summary: The “Celebrating 200 Years of St Peter’s” project, led by St Peter’s Brighton, ran from 15 March to 2 December 2024.

It marked the 200th anniversary of the church’s foundation stone, laid on May 8, 1824. The project brought the community together, using the Grade II* listed church as a focal point to celebrate Brighton’s rich history. Events and activities engaged people from all walks of life, aiming to collect and share 200 untold narratives of individuals connected to St Peter’s over the past two centuries. The project highlighted the church’s role in Brighton’s transformation from a small fishing town to a thriving city.

Find out more: Celebrating 200 years of St Peter's

Postcode: BN1 4GU

Lead organisation: History in Action CIC

Total grant: £24,761.00

Summary: The “Celebrating Champion Jack” project, led by History in Action CIC, ran from 30 January 2024 to 31 January 2025, in Bradford.

It honored the legacy of Champion Jack Dupree, a renowned blues musician. The project involved community events, workshops, and performances to celebrate his life and music. Participants explored his impact on the local and global music scene, creating a vibrant tribute through storytelling, music, and art. The initiative aimed to foster a deeper appreciation of Champion Jack’s contributions and to inspire future generations of musicians and music lovers.

Find out more: Celebrating Champion Jack

Postcode: BD6 1SR

Lead organisation: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Total grant: £24,779.00

Summary: The “Communities of Liberation” project took place from 6 May 2024 to 30 January 2025, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Organized by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, this initiative was part of Round 2 efforts in the L&SE region. The project aimed to empower local communities, fostering a sense of liberation and unity. Through various activities and events, it celebrated the rich cultural diversity of the area and promoted social cohesion. The project successfully engaged residents, enhancing community spirit and inclusivity.

Find out more: Communities of Liberation

Postcode: E1 4DQ

Lead organisation: Nene Park Trust

Total grant: £19,600.00

Summary: The “Digging Down, Building Up” project, led by Nene Park Trust, ran from 6 March 2024 to 31 January 2025, in Peterborough.

It explored Eye’s brickmaking and farming heritage, uncovering stories from those who lived and worked in these industries since the early 1900s. Eye’s bricks, used in buildings like Westminster Cathedral, were produced until 1990. The project involved the local community through workshops, an interactive heritage trail, and a lantern parade, celebrating the village’s historic life and creating new traditions.

Find out more: Digging Down, Building Up

Postcode: PE2 5UU

Lead organisation: Eastside Community Heritage

Total grant: £21,196.00

Summary: The “Echoes from the Bridge” project, led by Eastside Community Heritage, ran from 22 January 2024 to 7 April 2025, in the London Borough of Newham.

It celebrated the history of the Bridge House Pub in Canning Town from 1975 to 1982. The pub was crucial for aspiring bands from working-class backgrounds and became a leading live music venue, hosting acts like Iron Maiden and Dire Straits. The project captured the stories of those who socialized, listened to live music, and performed at the pub through oral history interviews and pop-up exhibitions.

Find out more: Echoes from the Bridge

Postcode: E12 6SG

Lead organisation: Scribblingtown

Total grant: £9,670.00

Summary: The “From Scribblingtown I Come” project, led by Scribblingtown in Manchester city centre, ran from 22 February 2024 to 30 May 2025.

It brought together a community of musicians to create broadsheet ballads inspired by local history. Participants collaborated to compose and perform songs that reflected the rich cultural heritage of Manchester. The project fostered a sense of community and celebrated the city’s historical narratives through music, engaging both musicians and the wider public in a shared creative experience.

Postcode: M1 1JQ

Lead organisation: Potboiler Theatre

Total grant: £19,950.00

Summary: The “Out in Hanley” project, led by Potboiler Theatre, ran from 4 March 2024 to 16 September 2024, in Stoke-on-Trent.

It focused on the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, including older LGBTQ+ people. The project collaborated with the Stoke Pride Committee and network, as well as LGBT Stoke, to create a supportive and inclusive environment. Through various activities and events, “Out in Hanley” aimed to celebrate and document the stories and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community in the area.

Find out more: Gay Stoke

Postcode: ST7 2GL

Lead organisation: Rekindle School Ltd

Total grant: £23,450.00

Summary: The “Great Grandmas and Glorious Girls” project, led by Rekindle School Ltd, took place in Manchester.

It focused on connecting different generations of women to share stories and experiences. The project celebrated the lives and contributions of great grandmothers and young girls through storytelling, workshops, and community events. Participants created a collection of shared memories and narratives, fostering a sense of pride and continuity within the community. The initiative aimed to strengthen intergenerational bonds and highlight the rich heritage of women in Manchester.

Postcode: M15 5WB

Lead organisation: Full House Theatre

Total grant: £18,950.00

Summary: The “Gypsy and Traveller Tales in Greensand Country” project, led by Full House Theatre, ran from 13 March 2024 to 31 July 2025, in Ampthill.

It focused on co-creating a touring exhibition that told the stories of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities in Greensand Country. The project involved children and families from GRT communities working with visiting artists to create content. Full House Theatre prioritized listening to community voices to develop effective creative partnerships. The final exhibition, co-created and curated with participants, toured three local libraries, sharing the stories and heritage of the GRT communities with the public.

Postcode: MK45 2PJ

Lead organisation: Good Organisation (Social Ventures) CIC

Total grant: £11,382.00

Summary: The “Historical Perspectives of Homelessness” project, led by Good Organisation (Social Ventures) CIC in York, ran from 22 January 2024 to 31 January 2025.

It aimed to uncover the history of homelessness from a lived experience perspective through an art exhibition. The project explored themes such as legislative responses to homelessness, from the Vagrancy Act of 1824 to modern-day Public Space Protection Orders. By highlighting these issues, the exhibition sought to spark discussions about the persistence of Victorian attitudes towards homelessness in contemporary society. The project was driven by individuals with personal experiences of homelessness, addiction, and the criminal justice system.

Postcode: YO1 6ET

Lead organisation: House of Dread

Total grant: £24,980.00

Summary: The “House of Dread – Rastafari Community Project” took place from 1 February 2024 to 31 October 2024, in Greenwich.

Organized by House of Dread, the project explored and documented the untold histories of St Agnes Place in Kennington, South London. Public historian Dr. Aleema Gray and community producers collaborated with Rastafari Movement UK to coordinate community conversations and collecting days. This effort culminated in a digital learning resource that examined how and why St Agnes Place evolved into a thriving hub of Rastafari activity. The project addressed the lack of archival information on this significant cultural history.

Postcode: SE18 7JG

Lead organisation: Trelya

Total grant: £17,701.56

Summary: The “Istoris” project, led by Trelya, ran from 7 February 2024 to 30 May 2025, in Penzance.

It engaged local children, young people, and families in weekly workshops to explore, record, and celebrate local working-class heritage. The project aimed to build life skills, confidence, and stronger community connections. Istoris created a permanent online digital exhibition and a digital heritage trail, providing free resources to help people understand and enjoy the area’s heritage for years to come.

Postcode: TR18 3PE

Lead organisation: The Seagull Lowestoft CIC

Total grant: £9,566.00

Summary: The “LANTERN” project, led by The Seagull Lowestoft CIC in Lowestoft, ran from 25 January to 1 November 2024.

It revisited the 1970s paranormal magazine “Lantern,” a key part of Lowestoft’s cultural scene. In collaboration with local residents, the project explored buildings and stories featured in the magazine, uncovering history from the Borderline Science Investigation Group’s paranormal investigations. With the help of a professional writer and creative team, locals created and performed an original drama piece, celebrating Lowestoft’s heritage.

Find out more: LANTERN

Postcode: NR33 0JH

Lead organisation: OUTSIDE Creative People and Places

Total grant: £13,175.00

Summary: The “Leek Textile Workers” project, led by OUTSIDE Creative People and Places in Leek, Staffordshire, ran from 29 January to 31 October 2024.

It focused on documenting the history and experiences of textile workers in the area. Through workshops and community events, participants shared their stories and explored the impact of the textile industry on their lives and the local community. The project aimed to preserve and celebrate the rich heritage of Leek’s textile workers, culminating in a public exhibition that showcased their contributions and the industry’s historical significance.

Find out more: Leek Textile Workers

Postcode: ST13 6DP

Lead organisation: Leicester Caribbean Cricket & Social Club

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The “Leicester Caribbean Cricket: 70 - Not Out” project, led by the Leicester Caribbean Cricket & Social Club, ran from 26 January to 31 October 2024.

It celebrated the club’s 70-year history by creating an interactive walking trail with plaques at significant sites around Leicester. QR codes on the plaques linked to oral history videos, historical images, and interview transcripts on a new website. Interviews with long-time club members highlighted founding stories, sporting triumphs, and community events. The project preserved the club’s heritage and made it accessible through technology, fostering pride among members and insight into Caribbean and South Asian experiences.

Postcode: LE5 5NA

Lead organisation: YMCA Leicestershire

Total grant: £13,783.00

Summary: YMCA Leicestershire’s project, “Leicester’s Hidden Gems,” ran from 16 February 2024 to 30 April 2025.

It brought together young residents from supported accommodation to explore the organisation’s rich archive of stories and images. Inspired by a recently discovered collection of old ticket stubs and literature at The Y Theatre, Leicester’s oldest working theatre, the project aimed to shed light on the community activities over the past 125 years. Young people aged 16-25 examined these unique finds, engaged the local community for their stories, and developed learning resources and workshops, creating a sustainable digital archive for future generations.

Find out more: Leicester's Hidden Gems

Postcode: LE1 6EY

Lead organisation: Friends of Ryton Federation

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The “Looking Out for Each Other” project, led by Friends of Ryton Federation in Chopwell, ran from 21 February to 25 October 2024.

It focused on fostering community support and connections. Participants engaged in various activities designed to promote mutual aid and solidarity among residents. The project encouraged people to share resources, skills, and time, strengthening the community’s resilience. It culminated in a series of events that celebrated the collective efforts and highlighted the importance of looking out for one another.

Postcode: NE17 7TE

Lead organisation: Ragged Edge Productions

Total grant: £9,990.00

Summary: The “Maryport Works Audio Adventure” project, led by Ragged Edge Productions in Bassenthwaite, ran from 1 March to 30 September 2024.

It created an immersive audio experience that explored the industrial heritage of Maryport. Participants recorded stories and sounds from the town’s past, capturing the essence of its working life. The project engaged the community in preserving and celebrating their local history through audio storytelling. The final audio adventure was shared with the public, offering a unique way to experience Maryport’s rich industrial past.

Postcode: CA12 4QH

Lead organisation: SICK! productions

Total grant: £24,820.00

Summary: The “Moston, Harpurhey, Charlestown Shared Heritage Mural Project” took place from 23 February 2024 to 30 May 2025, in Moston, Manchester.

Organized by SICK! Productions, a diversity-led art charity, the project aimed to tell the stories of Moston Lane residents through mural artwork. Collaborating with The Miners Community Arts, the project explored the mining community’s history through punk, protest, and rebellion themes. It also built on the Moston Lane Shutters project, engaging young people to explore local shopkeepers’ heritage. Additionally, the project celebrated the history of Boggart Hole Clough, uniting older residents to share their common heritage.

Postcode: M40 5BJ

Lead organisation: The Bare Project

Total grant: £19,663.00

Summary: The “Of Pigeons and Peas: The Histories and Futures of the Manor Workers’ Gardens” project, led by The Bare Project, ran from 30 January 2024 to 31 October 2024, in Sheffield.

It focused on the Manor community’s leisure activities, including gardening and pigeon fancying, since the 1930s. The project collected stories from local allotment owners and community groups, celebrating an area once labeled the “Worst Estate in the Country.” These stories, while acknowledging difficult times, highlighted the strong community spirit of the Manor, retelling its history through the words of residents and their ancestors.

Find out more: Of Pigeons and Peas

Postcode: S6 3JS

Lead organisation: Joanne Coates

Total grant: £9,680.00

Summary: The “On a Wing and a Prayer” project, led by Joanne Coates in Spennithorne, ran from 16 February 2024 to 28 May 2025.

It highlighted the unique heritage and hidden histories of the Skinningrove community through the stories of pigeon fanciers. Collaborating with local participants, the project celebrated industrial heritage and working-class traditions using photography, archives, and sound work. Workshops for pigeon fanciers and young people created a new village trail and hosted a public event where remaining pigeon fanciers shared their experiences.

Postcode: DL8 5PP

Lead organisation: Beamish

Total grant: £24,820.00

Summary: The project "Our South Shields: Thanks for the Memories" took place from 29 January 2024 to 30 May 2025, in Stanley, County Durham.

Local residents collaborated with the Balbir Singh Dance Company and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Durham University. They worked at Beamish Museum’s 1950s-style Health & Wellbeing space, modeled after the original Aged Miner's Homes in South Shields. This cultural partnership explored and celebrated South Shields’ diverse heritage and supported the wellbeing of people affected by dementia. The initiative was part of Beamish's Round 2 efforts in the NE&Y region.

Find out more: Our South Shields

Postcode: DH9 0RG

Lead organisation: Press Play Films

Total grant: £21,840.00

Summary: The “Parker Pens: The Working Class Oral Histories of Newhaven Town” project, led by Press Play Films, ran from 1 February 2024 to 14 April 2025, in Newhaven, East Sussex.

It brought together different generations to record community oral histories and create short stop-motion clay animations, uncovering the rich working-class history of Newhaven’s Parker Pen factory. The project encouraged intergenerational understanding of the town’s heritage and industrial past, involving ex-Parker employees, local students, Newhaven Museum volunteers, Hillcrest Community Centre, and the wider community. Pupils interviewed former factory workers to preserve these memories before they disappeared.

Postcode: BN7 3NT

Lead organisation: LGBT+ Northern Social Group

Total grant: £10,940.00

Summary: The “Pink Triangles and Purple Circles: Working Class Histories of Drag in Newcastle’s Pink Triangle” project, led by the LGBT+ Northern Social Group, ran from 5 February to 1 July 2024.

It explored the working-class history of drag in Newcastle’s Gay Village, known as the Pink Triangle. The project framed drag as a folk art, tracing its roots from Music Hall performers to contemporary DIY drag. The volunteer-led group, with around 2,600 members, promoted community workshops for personal research and creative activities. The project culminated in an online exhibition and live drag performances, celebrating the rich history and cultural impact of drag in the area.

Postcode: NE21 4EW

Lead organisation: Lifesize CIC

Total grant: £12,300.00

Summary: The “Ponswood Stories” project, led by Lifesize CIC in St Leonards-on-Sea, ran from 23 February 2024 to 2 January 2025.

It focused on co-creating a topical radio show with learning-disabled participants connected to the Parchment Trust. The show featured stories about the history of Ponswood industrial estate, established in the 1960s and home to companies like Kolster-Brandes and Phillips. The project enabled participants to learn about their surroundings and the estate’s role in the local community. It highlighted the significance of Ponswood as a key workplace for many residents.

Postcode: TN38 6JP

Lead organisation: Making Space

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The “Port Histories” project, led by Making Space in Ellesmere Port, ran from 5 February 2024 to 25 April 2025.

It explored the rich maritime heritage of the area, engaging the community in uncovering and documenting local port histories. Participants took part in workshops and events, sharing their stories and learning about the port’s impact on their town. The project culminated in a public exhibition, showcasing the collected histories and celebrating the community’s connection to their maritime past.

Postcode: WA2 7JB

Lead organisation: Rule of Threes Arts

Total grant: £12,600.00

Summary: The "Queue Up and Dance - Exploring Bootle's Stories of Youth Culture" project, led by Rule of Threes Arts, uncovered the histories of working-class life, labor, and leisure in Bootle during the 1980s and 1990s.

Focusing on the former Quadrant Park nightclub site, the project aimed to preserve its legacy. Collaborating with Sefton Libraries and artists, it brought together past club-goers and current young residents, fostering intergenerational connections. The project shared its findings online, in an exhibition, and through an event as part of Sefton's Borough of Culture 2025, celebrating Bootle's local heritage.

Find out more: Queue up and dance

Postcode: L22 5PR

Lead organisation: Marlborough Theatre Productions Ltd

Total grant: £24,900.00

Summary: The “Revealing St James’s Street Working Class LGBTQIA+ Heritage” project took place from 19 January 2024 to 31 January 2025, in Brighton.

Organized by Marlborough Theatre Productions Ltd, the project focused on the LGBTQIA+ working-class history of St James’s Street, the heart of queer culture in central Brighton since 1980. Through the Queer Heritage South programme, it highlighted the community of cabaret and drag performers, as well as associated venues and business owners. The project aimed to enhance the wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ communities by fostering a greater sense of ownership and connection with the city.

Postcode: BN2 0BS

Lead organisation: TCV Rhubarb

Total grant: £22,070.00

Summary: The “Rhubarb, Rhubarb…” project, led by TCV Rhubarb, ran from 30 January 2024 to 30 April 2025, in Leeds.

It focused on sharing the history of Hollybush Farm, a Grade II listed site in the ‘Rhubarb Triangle.’ The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) aimed to restore, protect, and connect people to nature. The project included building a new rhubarb forcing shed, growing fresh produce, and installing an interpretation to tell Hollybush’s history. This initiative followed an earlier oral history project commemorating 40 years of community involvement at Hollybush, further exploring the site’s heritage.

Postcode: LS5 3BP

Lead organisation: Bertz Associates LTD

Total grant: £17,520.00

Summary: The “Rolling at the Tower Ballroom” project, led by Bertz Associates LTD, ran from 21 February 2024 to 4 April 2025, in Birmingham.

It created a community documentary about the history of roller skating at the Tower Ballroom, which began in 1871. The project used this history to tell the story of ordinary people. Community researcher and skater Empress Gibbs, along with director Yonatan Tiruneh, led the creation of a short documentary film. The film premiered at the Midlands Art Centre in Cannon Hill Park, now home to a vibrant skating community.

Find out more: Rolling at the Tower Ballroom

Postcode: B16 9DX

Lead organisation: Kingswood Arts

Total grant: £25,000.00

Summary: The “Seasons of Kingswood Life” project took place from 25 January 2024 to 7 April 2025, in Southwark.

Organized by Kingswood Arts, the project involved local people in creating a permanent exhibition that explored the working-class history of the Kingswood estate from 1811 to the present day. Participants recorded their experiences through the changing seasons, highlighting the estate’s evolution from a private house to a wartime hospital, and later as a library and community center. This project showcased the continuum of working-class life at Kingswood, fostering a deeper connection with the community’s heritage.

Postcode: SE21 8QN

Lead organisation: Humber Field Archaeology, Hull City Council

Total grant: £24,900.00

Summary: The “Seeds of Change” project took place from 12 January 2023 to 29 November 2024, in Kingston upon Hull.

Organized by Humber Field Archaeology and Hull City Council, it focused on the seed crushing heritage of the lower River Hull, particularly around Wincolmlee. The project celebrated this industry with a heritage trail, an augmented reality mill recreation, a computer game, and a new piece of music. These elements were informed by interviews with former seed crushing factory workers and local residents, creating an engaging and lasting legacy for Hull’s seed crushing industry.

Find out more: Seeds of Change

Postcode: HU2 0LN

Lead organisation: Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust

Total grant: £8,211.50

Summary: The “Stories of Abbey Farm” project, led by the Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust in Northampton, ran from 1 August 2024 to 1 May 2025.

It focused on local heritage, engaging the community in exploring the history of Abbey Farm. Through various activities and events, participants delved into the farm’s past, uncovering stories and traditions. The project aimed to foster a deeper connection between residents and their local history, culminating in a series of public exhibitions and presentations that showcased the community’s findings and celebrated their shared heritage.

Postcode: NN4 8AW

Lead organisation: Filament Works CIC

Total grant: £9,850.00

Summary: The “Strandline” project, led by Filament Works CIC in Paignton, ran from 26 January 2024 to 21 February 2025.

It explored the lives of local working people, uncovering untold and uncelebrated stories. The project examined the relationships between the buildings and inhabitants of the Bishop’s Palace area, placing current community issues in a historical context. Participants from diverse backgrounds, including those not typically engaged in creative processes, shared stories of rights, protest, and rebellion. The project culminated in imagining new possibilities and connections for the community.

Find out more: Strandline

Postcode: TQ4 5BW

Lead organisation: Salaam Festival CIC

Total grant: £14,250.00

Summary: The “Sundook” project, led by Salaam Festival CIC, ran from 29 January 2024 to 3 March 2025, in Burnley.

It aimed to uncover and preserve the diverse heritage of South Asian communities on Abel Street. Cultural producer Rizwan Iqbal and fellow artists collaborated with community members through research and interviews to gather materials reflecting their unique cultural experiences. The project explored migration stories, cultural traditions, and work experiences, resulting in events and exhibitions that showcased Abel Street’s overlooked working-class heritage. Salaam Festival partnered with Enterprising Habits, The Chai Centre, Great Places Social Housing, and Age Concern.

Postcode: BB10 1QU

Lead organisation: Hidden Story CIC

Total grant: £20,340.00

Summary: The "Talking Tapestries: Stitches in Time" project, led by Hidden Story CIC, ran from 20 March 2024 to 4 April 2025, in Bishop Auckland.

It aimed to preserve County Durham’s textile heritage by recording stories and memories of surviving textile workers. Participants, working with local artists, recorded oral histories and created visual art related to their stories. They co-created a tapestry with embedded digital audio buttons, making the textiles "talk." Hidden Story CIC, a disabled-led enterprise, also began learning to design and make its own accessible fashion range during the project.

Postcode: DL14 9JX

Lead organisation: The Bridge at Waterloo

Total grant: £24,950.00

Summary: The “Lost City of Cardboard: A Homelessness Heritage Project” took place from 23 February 2024 to 4 April 2025, in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Organized by The Bridge at Waterloo, the project aimed to remember and memorialize Cardboard City, a makeshift encampment that sheltered thousands of rough sleepers in the 1980s and 1990s. Led by artists and individuals who experienced homelessness, the project engaged former residents, supporters, and local community members. It involved researching and documenting narratives, individuals, and objects linked to Cardboard City, preserving the ephemeral and often neglected heritage of homeless people in the area.

Find out more: The Lost City of Cardboard

Postcode: SE1 8TY

Lead organisation: The Old Fire Station, Stoke Newington

Total grant: £9,650.00

Summary: The “Old Fire Station N16, Looking Out for Our Community Since 1885” project, led by The Old Fire Station in Stoke Newington, ran from 15 March 2024 to 30 April 2025.

It uncovered the multi-layered histories of the locally listed building on Leswin Road. The building, home to over 25 community organisations since the 1980s, was explored through new archival research. The project reconnected with past workers, including retired firemen and community organisers, and invited current users and neighbors to co-create responses to the building’s history.

Postcode: N16 7NX

Lead organisation: Youth Landscapers Collective

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The “Stage of Possibility” project, led by the Youth Landscapers Collective in Nottingham, ran from 19 March to 6 December 2024.

It focused on engaging young and neurodivergent people in local community activities. Participants collaborated on creative projects, developing new skills and building confidence. The project provided a supportive environment where they could express themselves and connect with others. It culminated in a public showcase, highlighting the talents and achievements of the participants and celebrating their contributions to the community.

Find out more: The Stage of Possibility

Postcode: NG7 1NU

Lead organisation: Hands Off Ltd

Total grant: £6,800.00

Summary: The “Tyne and The Tide Project South,” led by Hands Off Ltd in Newcastle upon Tyne, ran from 7 March to 7 June 2024.

Primary school students from Jarrow explored South Tyneside’s coastal history at the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House. Over five days, they engaged in workshops and activities, including staging a rescue mission with historical equipment, exploring Parliamentary Archives, and using drama, music, and art to interact with artefacts. The project concluded with a performance and exhibition, where students shared their discoveries with teachers, peers, parents, and the public.

Find out more: The Tyne and The Tide Project South

Postcode: NE1 3XP

Lead organisation: Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust

Total grant: £9,978.00

Summary: The “Tolpuddle Family Lives: A People’s Heritage” project, led by the Tolpuddle Old Chapel Trust, ran from 16 February 2024 to 15 January 2025.

It explored the lives of Dorset’s rural working-class in the 19th century, focusing on women and children. The project uncovered overlooked aspects of the Tolpuddle story through diaries, memories, family tales, crafts, folk art, and family histories. The Old Chapel served as the project’s hub, where the community gathered to share and preserve these important historical narratives.

Find out more: Tolpuddle Family Lives

Postcode: DT2 7ET

Lead organisation: Red Rose Chain

Total grant: £9,889.00

Summary: The “Tooley’s Almshouses” project, led by Red Rose Chain in Ipswich, ran from 9 August 2024 to 26 May 2025.

It explored the history of almshouses established by Henry Tooley in 1552. Co-created with the Chainers youth theatre, the project used heritage workshops and archives to develop a new play script. The play was performed publicly at The Avenue Theatre. The project also produced digital resources and an exhibition. Young participants engaged with residents of Tooley Court and Ipswich Family Bank, deepening their connection to the community’s history and present.

Postcode: IP2 9AF

Lead organisation: SPILL Festival Ltd

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: The “Untitled Ipswich Caribbean Centre Project,” led by SPILL Festival Ltd in Ipswich, ran from 25 January 2024 to 31 May 2025.

It celebrated the former Ipswich Caribbean Association building and its significance to the local Caribbean community. Artistic Director Robin Deacon, whose mother emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago, led the project with a steering group of community leaders. They collected oral histories, created new artworks, and developed heritage resources. The project culminated in a public event celebrating the cultural and social impact of this cherished community space.

Postcode: IP1 3QH

Lead organisation: On the Record

Total grant: £12,620.00

Summary: The “When the Nursery Workers Said No: The Islington Nursery Strike, 1984” project, led by On the Record in the London Borough of Islington, ran from 1 August 2024 to 30 May 2025.

It documented the 1984 strike by around 160 nursery workers, predominantly women from minority ethnic backgrounds, who demanded better staff-to-child ratios. Their actions led to improved care standards and working conditions. The project aimed to highlight the often-overlooked contributions of early years practitioners. Participants co-created outcomes, including a podcast, theatre piece for radio, or an audio walk linking the nursery sites.

Postcode: N1 9DX

Lead organisation: GL11 Community Hub

Total grant: £9,940.00

Summary: The “Women’s Work in Cam Mills” project, led by GL11 Community Hub in Dursley, ran from 4 March 2024 to 7 March 2025.

It created an oral history archive of women’s experiences in Gloucestershire’s cloth manufacturing industry. The project recorded memories of women born in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s who worked at Cam Mills, the last standing historic cloth mill in the area. These recordings captured their employment, domestic work, and social changes. The archive will be accessible via QR codes along local walking trails and entered into the Gloucestershire Archive.

Postcode: GL11 5JS

Lead organisation: Back on Track Manchester

Total grant: £9,618.00

Summary: The “Work and Play – The Untold Stories of Urban Parks in North Manchester” project, led by Back on Track Manchester, explored access to public greenspaces in three disadvantaged districts: Sandhills Park, Queens Park, and Philips Park.

The project highlighted the historical and current benefits of these parks for local communities. Participants researched their local parks’ history and created writing and images showcased online. Back on Track collaborated with local libraries, friends groups, and nature charities, supporting around 500 people annually from Greater Manchester, many from the featured districts.

Postcode: M4 5JW

Lead organisation: 1625 Independent People

Total grant: £24,995.00

Summary: The “Young People Uncover Old Market: Social Change Past and Present” project took place from 1 August 2024 to 11 April 2025, in Bristol.

Organized by 1625 Independent People, it involved young people aged 16-25 who were homeless, leaving care, or at risk of homelessness. Based at Kingsley Hall, the project researched Bristol’s medieval marketplace and empowered marginalized youth as creative storytellers. Participants explored working-class histories and challenged which buildings and stories are celebrated. This process helped them develop self-esteem, a sense of identity, and a connection with the Old Market community.

Postcode: BS2 0ER

Lead organisation: Lancashire Wildlife Trust

Total grant: £24,350.00

Summary: A Silent Right to Roam will explore the working-class stories of Jubilee Tower past and present.

Predating the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, Jubilee Tower on Darwen Moor was built in 1898 after packmen, pedlars, farmers and labourers won the right to access and 300 acres of Moorland passed into public possession, defeating wealthy landowners wanting sole use for Grouse shooting.

The win saw a procession of 15000 march with 6 brass bands to the top of the hill and £1500 was soon secured through public subscriptions to build a tower that employed local contractors, which also commemorated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Darwen’s role in the Industrial Revolution meant the moors became a refuge for quiet enjoyment away from the cotton mills and coal pits. Now Darwen hosts many migrants from South Asian communities, who are now keen to take part in Right To Roam conversations and benefit from the leisure pursuits once dominated by the white middle class.

There are untold stories too across the farming communities; the struggle to sustain a living and clashes with a disconnected urban population.

Through a year of co-creation we will work with local creative and cultural groups to uncover and amplify the hidden voices of the moors and Jubilee Tower. By creating space for communities to share stories and perspectives we believe we can strengthen connectivity and find the commonalities in our individual and collective heritage that is needed to guide our future choices.

Postcode: PR5 6BY

Lead organisation: Hastings Contemporary

Total grant: £18,543.00

Summary: A collaboration between Hastings Fisherman’s Protection Society (HFPS) and Hastings Contemporary (HC) to co-design and develop a skills-sharing programme from July 2025 to July 2026.

This will be hosted in a new shared community studio being built by HC and funded by Levelling Up. Activity will take place on the Stade open space, situated between HFPS and HC, just metres from the beach-launched fleet.

HFPS is small and under-resourced and their members face increasing economic and environmental challenges, with their industry near to extinction. The age and health of the fleet mean that if we do not act now, this everyday heritage is at risk of being lost. As their close neighbour, HC will offer its team’s expertise, and use of the new mobile studio, to help HFPS members deliver a skills-sharing programme, and use our platform/networks to ensure the programme reaches new audiences, raises awareness of their everyday heritage and passes on their skills to wider communities and future generations. Initial ideas through conversations with HFPS members include Saturday morning workshops, ranging from net making to fish filleting, as well as engaging with their oral history archive.

The two organisations have jointly applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (pending outcome) to create and complete an oral history archive. Alongside this, HC’s spring/summer 2025 season will celebrate the intangible cultural heritage of the fleet, co-curated by the fishing community, including an oral history inspired sound installation. This skills-sharing programme will evolve from relationships created between HC, HFPS and the wider community.

Postcode: TN34 3DW

Lead organisation: Briston Parochial Church Council

Total grant: £23,500.00

Summary: The railway village of Melton Constable, nestled within the North Norfolk countryside, sits incongruously alongside its neighbouring communities. Its story is one of tumultuous change and rapid growth, of industrialisation and conflict with the rural way of life. It is a tale of connection, as the hub of a vast railway network. It is also about the decline and obliteration of the Midland and Great Northern (M&GN) Railway. When the railway works closed and the trains stopped running, the village became a site of deconstruction where the infrastructure and machinery were bought to be broken up. This fascinating history is starting to pass from living memory and is at risk of being forgotten.

The Melton Constable Railway Village Heritage Project will gather, co-create, and facilitate a series of responses to this heritage, culminating in May 2026 with a Railway Heritage Festival of co-curated exhibitions of artwork, historical documents, railway memorabilia, and oral histories to celebrate the heritage and history of this iconic and unique rural railway village.

Local artists and historians will facilitate sessions to capture the stories of the older residents of Melton Constable and surrounding villages who still remember a working railway or have family narratives to share. Activities with these groups and the wider community will facilitate the development of their responses to local railway history and explore the impact that the building of the railway had on working class people and the wider rural communities, building a sense of local pride and community cohesion.

Postcode: NR24 2BN

Lead organisation: Fotonow CIC

Total grant: £19,250.00

Summary: Crossing Lives is a social history and photography project that explores the lives of the toll booth workers who have been at the heart of the Tamar Bridge since its construction. Fotonow will collaborate with the Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning Centre to shine a spotlight on the unsung toll staff who have maintained the crossing and collected payments for generations.

The project will produce a series of powerful images while the community helps capture oral histories, working with current and former toll booth workers to share their personal experiences.

This project will preserve these stories for future generations, using the bridge as a metaphor for connection between Devon and Cornwall, while celebrating the working-class individuals who keep it moving.

Postcode: PL1 3RP

Lead organisation: Culturvator

Total grant: £9,700.00

Summary:

Our project will be based on Freiston Shore, a historically significant coastal site near Boston, Lincolnshire. Once a thriving resort from the late 18th to the early 20th century, Freiston Shore attracted visitors for horse racing, boating regattas, and sea bathing, with two large hotels catering to tourists. It was also an important working-class hub, with fishing and agricultural communities shaping the area’s economy. The shore’s proximity to the Wash estuary made it ideal for fishing, and the region saw bountiful herring catches in the 19th century, helping to sustain the local community.

However, with the advent of railway travel to larger nearby resorts like Skegness, Freiston Shore fell into decline by the mid-20th century. It is now managed by the RSPB as a wildlife conservation site, attracting birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, but its rich history as a seaside resort and working-class fishing hub remains largely forgotten.

Our project will bring Freiston Shore’s forgotten past to life through fine art workshops, engaging the community in rediscovering its heritage. By focusing on the stories of local fishermen, agricultural workers, and the leisure industry, the project will reconnect participants with the region’s rural and coastal identity. This creative exploration will help preserve and celebrate the cultural and historical significance of Freiston Shore for future generations.

Postcode: PE21 8NL

Lead organisation: Stellar Projects CIC

Total grant: £9,982.00

Summary: Community participants in Redcar and Cleveland will co-create a project exploring their rich heritage stories of Saltburn Valley Gardens. The project will contribute to Valley of Light, a community-centred, light-based event taking place in Valley Gardens over two evenings in March 2025.

Participants will be encouraged to delve into their personal and family heritage, exploring their connections to the local area and specifically Valley Gardens. Working alongside an artist/facilitator, they will share their heritage stories and then collaborate with artist(s) to create artworks that reflect their stories — either individually or in small groups. These creative pieces will be exhibited at Valley of Light, and we will also explore other avenues for sharing the work, fostering a sense of pride across the community.

The project will build on the relationships we’ve cultivated with community groups in the area over recent years, including some who were involved with the previous Valley of Light event earlier this year. We are especially committed to engaging with groups who may have been previously excluded or had limited opportunities to share their heritage and participate in creative activities. This includes groups with learning disabilities and those from areas in the top 15% of the deprivation indices.

A community steering group will be formed to guide the project, ensuring that participants’ voices are heard throughout the process, so they feel included and valued.

Postcode: TS23 4AZ

Lead organisation: Amelia Hawk

Total grant: £9,990.00

Summary: A project unpacking the history of Helmsley Open Air Swimming Pool, a rural lido in North Yorkshire. One of only a handful of remaining lidos in Yorkshire. The project explores how swimming has been an accessible working class leisure and healing activity. Exploring the pool as a site for wellbeing and social history. Capturing the micro stories of people’s feelings and experiences in the pool, and the larger events and activities such as the opening ceremony in 1968, Solstice Swims, and the many group activities.

Artist Amelia Hawk will co-create a series of exploratory workshops with the local community, that will see free workshops hosted in and around the pool whilst capturing oral histories and historic photographs. The resulting project will see a permanent artwork made for the pool, alongside contributions to local archives, and a final celebratory event bringing together all the materials uncovered and produced through the project, whilst opening up the pool for free creative swimming for wellbeing.

The project specifically focuses on wellbeing and mental health led by Amelia’s arts & health practice that integrates creative activities with wellbeing support. The project itself provides wellbeing support for local communities whilst exploring the impact of swimming as more than a leisure activity.

Postcode: YO51 9AA

Lead organisation: Anglo Asiatic Arts and Heritage Alliance (AAAHA)

Total grant: £10,880.00

Summary: We would like to record and collect around fifteen Caribbean oral histories post-Windrush. This records how working class Caribbeans have made their home in Grays, Thurrock after the arrival of Windrush. Caribbeans have contributed greatly to the local area, but there is no record of their achievements, apart from arriving in Tilbury, Thurrock, on the Empire Windrush. AAAHA is a member of the Thurrock Heritage Group organised by Thurrock Museum based in Grays. The Museum has currently nothing of diverse local histories and this oral history will address the imbalance.

Film Thurrock’s young Co-Director, Alan Bright, is of Caribbean descent from Grays. He and his community are very keen to record and preserve the memories of their community’s older generation in the area. He has gathered around five young Caribbeans and their friends who will work as a team to collect these memories from family, friends, and acquaintances through audio and video technology. There will be a British Library Oral History Society training session delivered to the team.

After the videos have been recorded, they will be uploaded as a free online digital gallery. QR codes will be placed amongst Thurrock Museum’s real displays. At Black History Month, Oct 2025, a travelling exhibition, launching the oral history archive, will tour Thurrock libraries, beginning and ending at the gallery shared by Thurrock Museum/Grays Museum and Thames Chase. Transcripts will be deposited at Thurrock Museum.

We envisage this to be the first of more diverse community oral histories.

Postcode: RM17 6PQ

Lead organisation: Museums Northumberland

Total grant: £18,104.50

Summary: Our project focuses on Hexham Old Gaol (England’s oldest prison), Moot Hall and House of Correction, a group of buildings which, collectively, form England’s oldest prison system. All three buildings are currently overlooked, both locally and further afield, but all deserve to be highlighted and shared with visitors and audiences in a diverse and engaging way, through their collective stories of justice, heroism, human rights, nationhood, poverty, and disability in Hexham.

Dating back to the 1300s, Hexham Old Gaol and Moot Hall worked together as a prison and courtroom respectively, with the House of Correction built much later in the early 1800s. Our project will bring together broad representation from across our communities to explore and create a tangible outcome to bring the three buildings centre stage for local people and visitors. We anticipate that the final outcome will be inspired by the buildings themselves, as well as associated stories and records of ordinary working-class people who encountered life in the local judicial system, and co-created with our communities. Engagement opportunities delivered by Museums Northumberland staff will work with established and new project partners to draw out impactful and engaging ideas and content to inform products/outcomes that raise awareness of, celebrate, and increase access to these important buildings and the town’s hidden heritage.

“Giving the Old Gaol contemporary relevance and telling the stories of prisoners from the past and in the present day strikes us as a remarkable idea and excites us with the thought of how vital and alive the Old Gaol would seem as a result.” (Hexham Community Partnership)

Postcode: NE63 9YF

Lead organisation: Platform Thirty1 Limited

Total grant: £9,980.00

Summary: Home Truths puts residents in the lead of their stories, evoking pride of place and it’s people, and the rich history of everyday life in this community. It’s design falls on a year with 2 significant anniversaries of community change, with co-created, creative and participatory activity kickstarting and capturing heritage documenting in this community.

Two project strands will unearth, uplift, document, share and celebrate the working-class life that underpinned the day-today experiences of local families at the height of industry. The process will create a positive sense of belonging across generations and navigate isolation improving individual and collective wellbeing. The people that hold the stories and knowledge of this time are now our elders, and soon their stories will be lost if we do not act now.

- Home Life: the daily comforts, cornerstones and necessities of domestic lives. EG traditional recipes such as Pitman’s Supper (AKA frazzled cheese) and pie and peas. This idea has already been co-created further with residents with a desire to make a Community Cookbook of ‘Mamma’s Suppers’.

- Social Life: the cultural and collective rituals of local people on a daily, seasonal, and annual basis. How people connected and celebrated with one another in the parish. EG visiting the annual ‘wakes’ (fair) that turned its dodgem floor into a dance floor at midnight for jive dances. Oral histories will capture tails, and be made into installations (EG headphones installed in a vintage stand hairdryer that will be toured to community settings for people to engage with)

Postcode: DE55 5JR

Lead organisation: Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Total grant: £9,750.00

Summary: In co-production with local graffiti artists and young people from Telford College of Arts and Technology, this project will explore the everyday working lives of the local people who shaped the Industrial Revolution in the Ironbridge Gorge. The museums, which are packed with examples of creativity and inspirational hidden gems, encapsulate the stories of the people who worked in the three main local industries of mining, ironworking, and clay working.

Through the artistic practice of graffiti, young people will be invited to explore the stories that underpin Coalport China Museum, Blists Hill Victorian Town and Jackfield Tile Museum. The students will first dive into the histories of the collections and the museum buildings, before joining with local graffiti artists to learn graffiti techniques to create pieces inspired by the stories held within the museums.

Postcode: TF8 7DQ

Lead organisation: The Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust

Total grant: £9,560.00

Summary: The project will honor the quarrymen’s hand working skills who have played a significant role in shaping Portland’s coastal landscape over 18 generations: providing the stone for London's iconic buildings and within living memory the repair of the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Postcode: DT5 1BW

Lead organisation: 104 Projects CIC

Total grant: £24,350.00

Summary: Margate’s Deaf Voices will give a group of up to 20 Deaf people from Margate the opportunity to produce oral histories and a documentary film about Royal School for Deaf Children in Margate, which closed in 2015. Originally the school was called the London Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor and moved from London to Margate in 1809. Because of the London connections and its charitable mandate, there was a wide cohort of pupils who came from working class backgrounds across the southeast.

Our project involves present-day Deaf people investigating these histories to form the basis of the film and interview former students of the school, who now live locally, for the oral histories. We plan to work with Kent-based dDeaf organisation BSL Community, who run a bi-weekly Deaf Club called Deaf Together in Margate. Workshops would be based at Deaf Together, where participants can learn research, oral history, and documentary skills to make their own work about the Deaf School. Workshops will be guided by experts in these areas (more detail later). BSL interpreters will ensure the workshops are accessible.

It is our intention that the film will premiere at the Margate Film Festival in November 2025 and the oral histories will be deposited in Kent Archives.

Postcode: SW14 8NU

Lead organisation: The Gardeners House Penznce CIO

Total grant: £16,315.00

Summary:

Morrab Gardens is a Grade II listed park and garden within which there are Grade II listed features: bandstand, fountain and Boer War Memorial. The garden layout and planting is over 135 years old and include rare tropical specimens. Cordylines, agaves, and tree ferns create a tropical garden benefitting from the mild Cornish seaside climate. The garden runs from the town centre down to the sea, from where it gets its name Morrab from the Cornish Morrep, meaning beside the sea.

Morrab Gardens was originally the private garden for Grade II listed Morrab House, (now Morrab Library). It was purchased by the Penzance Corporation to create a pleasure garden for local people in 1888 opening to the public the following year. Morrab House was also purchased to be used as a public library. The bandstand, war memorial, and fountain were added between 1900-1910.

The Gardens have remained in municipal ownership, currently owned by Cornwall Council since they were purchased. Morrab House is still a library. The stable block for Morrab House, latterly a house for the Head Gardener is now leased by The Gardeners’ House Penzance CIO and thanks to funding from Penzance Town Deal and The National Lottery Heritage Fund is currently being restored and extended to provide a home for The Gardeners’ House Collection of Cornish Natural Heritage books and archive materials. It will continue to provide a home for the Friends of Morrab Gardens, whose volunteer gardeners look after the listed Gardens.

Postcode: TR18 4AE

Lead organisation: Cement Fields

Total grant: £16,750.00

Summary: For ‘New Rituals’, North Kent arts organisation Cement Fields is working in Sheerness with the local community to explore and revive historic working class community traditions on the Isle of Sheppey.

Postcode: ME4 6BB

Lead organisation: StoneCrabs Productions

Total grant: £21,750.00

Summary: Out On An Island - Celebrating LGBTQ+ Working Class Histories will investigate venues, buildings, and sites frequented by LGBTQ+ people on Union Street, Ryde’s main street, on the Isle of Wight. Ryde is known as ‘the town on the beach’ and the project will shine a light on the often hidden LGBTQ+ nightlife of Union Street - which leads down to the sea.

For locals and tourists alike, Isle of Wight heritage focus is dominated by sites such as Osborne House, Carisbrooke Castle and Mottistone Manor which are expensive to visit. Our focus will be on everyday LGBTQ+ people and the challenges they faced in a closeknit, coastal community. The Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ community was thriving during the 1980’s and 1990’s, the project will explore the importance of LGBTQ+ friendly venues such as Bar 74, Patsys, The Redan and Prince Consort in the life of Ryde’s LGBTQ+ community (then and now). Their relationship with these venues, events and personal stories that have/are shaping the local everyday heritage.

We will promote and coordinate community panel discussions and workshops exploring specific venues and how they support social connection. These panel discussions and workshops will feature older LGBTQ+ people who can share firsthand experiences of venues and life in the community. It will encourage members to conduct personal research and creative activities - building towards public outcomes to be shared with the wider community potentially including online and in-person elements, such as poetry nights, guided tours, online and/or physical public art exhibition.

Postcode: PO37 7NS

Lead organisation: Figment Arts

Total grant: £19,230.00

Summary: The local residents of Eastbrook Ward, supported by Figment Arts would explore the heritage of Shoreham Harbour, which lies at the foot of their community and sits between them and the Beach and coastline.

Using creative tools including: mapping, painting, photography, audio and video recording and augmented reality, the Port Stories project would research and uncover the 250 years of working life that the port represents.

The project would run for 18 months, experienced facilitators from Figment Arts would support participants to learn new skills and take an active role in researching and re-telling these stories.

We will create a series of interactive walks combining audio trails, augmented reality and video.

We will launch these in May 2026 at the Community Centre and at locations within the port itself.

Postcode: BN11 1LY

Lead organisation: Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society

Total grant: £12,538.00

Summary: The Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society (BICBS)) is in the process of bringing the historic Brockweir Inn into community ownership following its closure in 2019.

Brockweir was once home to at least 17 pubs, and now the Brockweir Inn is the last in the village. The building has been a pub since at least 1793. Our project will explore and reimagine the history of the Inn as well as the village of Brockweir.

Situated on the river Wye, Brockweir was once a buzzling port and centre for ship building. Approached as much by water as by road, Brockweir was an isolated community with an independent character and a reputation of being a 'city of refuge' for lawless elements.

Led by the community, we will explore the colourful past of Brockweir through digital and archive resources. We will put together a group of all ages and backgrounds who will work with our community curator, community engagement officer and community artists through a series of workshops to identify the stories that are important to them and how we can tell them.

The project will result in a community exhibition that will be displayed during a week-long celebration of the history of Brockweir at the School Rooms and Mackenzie Hall. The project Artwork will also be on permanent display in the refurbished Brockweir Inn so that the story of the village can continue to be shared with residents and visitors to the area in the future.

Postcode: NP16 7NG

Lead organisation: Three Ways East Ltd

Total grant: £24,943.00

Summary: "Scene but not heard" focuses on the LGBTQ+ and drag performance scene in working class pubs and clubs in the HU3 docklands area of, Hull, in the 1980s and 90s.

We have unearthed a body of photographs documenting this scene, currently in the separate and dispersed private collections of at least 6 original photographers. It is an important record of LGBTQ+ heritage and working-class venues as safe spaces. The photographers, who have enjoyed varying degrees of international, national, and local success, include Daniel Meadows (a pioneer of contemporary British documentary practice), Russel Boyce, Steve Conlan, Ross Williams, George Norris, and Tony Ward. These photographs are currently not available publicly.

Conversations around the discovery of the photographs have already gathered interest with local residents and LGBTQ communities, and working with them, some of them being participants and audiences of the scene at the time, we have identified some of the original drag acts, musicians, and artists… Kandy de Barry, Bobby Mandrell, The Dream Girls… in fact some are still performing. Working with the community, performers, and community, we will reanimate the scene, and its connections, to create a contemporary presentation of/with this historical body of work. This will include oral histories, but outputs will be decided as part of the co-production process, though may include exhibitions, writings, presentations, newspapers, short films etc, across HU3 and/or online. This will create a valuable, visible, public story that will add important (but currently invisible) representation to the authorised maritime heritage narratives.

Postcode: YO8 8JH

Lead organisation: GRAIN projects

Total grant: £9,700.00

Summary: This project will use the annual ritual of ‘Shrovetide Football’, as a starting point and anchor to collaborate with the rural communities of Atherstone, Warwickshire, and Ashbourne, Derbyshire, in the Midlands.

GRAIN Projects is an arts organisation dedicated to facilitating and delivering ambitious, engaging, and high-quality co-created photography projects in the Midlands. We work collaboratively with artists and communities, utilising photography to create positive change and ensuring that people from every walk of life can express themselves. We explore identities, histories, stories, and place through social engaged photography and we believe we have a responsibility to interrogate our collective history and to seek the change necessary to address inequalities.

The medieval football games take place annually in Atherstone and Ashbourne in their streets and public spaces. Increasingly the matches are seen as eccentric rituals, as rural customs, about heritage and place. In Ashbourne, the town plays the game for 16 hours and the goals are three miles apart. We will work with the communities of the market towns, through workshops and activities led by artists, to unpick these rituals that dominate their identity. We will explore what the events mean to post-agriculture and post-industrial identity, gender identity, and belonging. This will be done collaboratively through vernacular photography, oral histories, and new photography. Creative partnerships with local social clubs, sports clubs (including Women’s Football Clubs), schools, and community groups will develop and new work will be co-created to share memories and tell stories.

The final output will be an exhibition, co-created and curated with participants, that will tour two local libraries and become part of public archives.

Postcode: ST6 8RB

Lead organisation: Nell Catchpole

Total grant: £19,588.00

Summary: Sounds of Steel will unite different generations of working-class citizens to explore the significance of two connected historical places through co-created gong-sounding events. Redcar Steelworks site and Skinningrove village are coastal locales at the heart of a rich regional history of industrial growth and decline, deprivation, and resilience. Through ceremonial soundings of steel gongs in specific locations chosen by community elders, we will co-create community events as catalysts for collective remembering and exploration of the histories and transitions that have profoundly shaped local communities, places, and landscapes.

Sounds of Steel has been initiated by local sound artist Nell Catchpole and sociologist Professor Sarah Irwin in collaboration with local people who have held different roles within the steelworking community.

Gongs will be made from steel in a forge with a master blacksmith, and two public sounding events will be co-created with groups of community elders. These will be documented by young participants who will learn skills in creative digital documentary through practical workshops facilitated by Nell and local photographer, Rachel Deakin. At regular community gatherings, reflections will be shared in group dialogues and interviews and all participants will co-design a public exhibition. As legacy, documenting equipment will be given to the communities.

Facilitated by a highly experienced team, and supported by three local Partner Organisations, our project combines locally sourced materials, skills, and community connections. It aims to evoke vibrant memories and dialogue about place-based meanings and legacies and engage a wider public with previously unheard resonances of local working-class histories.

Postcode: TS15 9LH

Lead organisation: Pride of Romany

Total grant: £23,000.00

Summary: The Atchin Tan Heritage Project aims to preserve and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and history of the British Romany community, focusing on the historic significance of Sound Common in Nantwich, Cheshire. This project is led by Pride of Romany, a Romany-led organization, and involves collaboration with Romany historians, community elders, and local residents.

Through community gatherings and interviews, we will capture oral histories, folklore, and stories from both Romany individuals and elderly locals who remember the Romany presence in their community. These narratives will highlight the shared experiences and contributions of the British Romany people to the local area, fostering understanding and cohesion between communities.

Key outcomes of the project include the installation of an environmentally friendly, weatherproof plaque on Sound Common to commemorate Romany history, the creation of a documentary that serves as a legacy for the culture, and an informative booklet summarizing the findings and stories shared throughout the project. The culmination of the project will be a gala event showcasing the documentary and celebrating the community's collaborative efforts.

This project not only seeks to document and honor the past but also aims to strengthen relationships between the British Romany community and the wider public, ensuring that their voices and heritage are recognized and celebrated for future generations. Through these initiatives, we hope to create a lasting impact that fosters unity and respect for the diverse narratives that shape our collective history.

Postcode: CW5 7PP

Lead organisation: Soundyard CIC

Total grant: £23,700.00

Summary: In 1920, a 9-acre holiday camp opened in the village of Hemsby, Norfolk. This was later purchased by the Pontins brand in 1971. At its peak, the camp consisted of 22 acres and 512 chalets and could accommodate up to 2,440 guests. The Pontins Holiday Park continued to welcome holiday-makers every year until its closure in 2009.

Today, Hemsby’s role as a resort is not fully determined to history. However, with coastal erosion taking more of the beach every year, documenting the village's past feels more important than ever.

This project would look to create an audio documentary entitled “The Holiday Makers”. Throughout this documentary “The Holiday Makers” tells the stories of the employees and visitors at the holiday camp between its inception in 1920 and its closure in 2009. It would do this by collecting extensive interviews with past guests and ex-workers at the camp.

The series will be led and narrated by Hemsby’s current residents and staff at the remaining holiday camps in the village, who will be trained via a series of audio workshops held in the area. Their own modern-day experiences of the village would help to inform and drive the narrative.

This very personal approach would cement the importance of this coastal village in British history and explore how the decline in tourism has affected younger generations growing up in Hemsby today.

Postcode: NR3 1JD

Lead organisation: Jayne Shipley

Total grant: £24,018.60

Summary: The project will explore the past lives lived on Dean Road. It will aim to connect locals and visitors with the rich heritage and relatable stories of the people who lived along the street, in the 1800s. Once known as ‘The Street of Life’ the project will reflect on why this was so and what this means now.

We will explore transient stories of people who came to live, without choice, at the Dean Road Prison (now a refuse centre) and the ‘new’ workhouse, or who were buried in Dean Road Cemetery. Stories of people ‘passing by’ will be compared to more permanent lives of those who chose to live on Dean Road. New stories will be revealed as residents find relevance in the stories of those who came before.

Personalised Learning College, young people in supported learning and members of Yorkshire Coast Sight Support, will support the projects’ main aims to create an accessible project and creative outcomes that offer an accessible telling of stories through a sensory outcome.
The Dean Road community will be invited to respond to provocations devised by the key participants, widening the conversation.

I have previously delivered accessible, democratic projects and expect initial ideas are likely to change, but essentially key participants will research and interpret five of these past lives. The group will devise a series of provocations to widen the conversation to ‘passers-by’ connecting not only with the past and encouraging conversations about the needs of communities who live here now.

Postcode: YO12 7NG

Lead organisation: The Tale Collectors

Total grant: £9,940.00

Summary: The Tale Collectors use music and words as inspiration to engage people to tell their stories of their past and everyday lives. They specialise in working with older members of the community who are experiencing loneliness and isolation to co-create musical performances based on stories that have often been untold, and which connect people to working class histories.

The Tale Collectors are a group of 5 experienced musicians who lead sessions to capture stories and create a musical performance to connect audiences to local heritage.

The project will create an hour-long performance to create a picture of everyday life in the rural location of Bungay from the perspective of the local people.

In partnership with Musical Lifelines, The Tale Collectors will run workshops to facilitate the telling of untold stories and explore the town’s rural history. These will connect the community to their heritage while supporting improved wellbeing and decreased loneliness of participants in the project. Through working in collaboration, the storytellers and musicians will co-create a final showcase performance in Bungay at the heritage theatre in May 2025. This project will have a further reach into the community, through the performance being filmed. The forgotten stories of people who have lived and worked in Bungay will be captured for future generations to enjoy and learn. The film will be shown in Bungay through community outreach film events at three care homes for older people as well as offered, subject to appraisal, to the East Anglian Film Archive.

Postcode: NR35 1EL

Lead organisation: Jaywick Martello Tower – Essex County Council

Total grant: £13,000.00

Summary: To celebrate twenty years of Jaywick Martello Tower being at the heart of heritage and arts in the community of Jaywick Sands we aim to capture the legacy of where we are with local voices being at the core of our history.

We are looking to run a project that will allow local young people to reclaim the narrative of their history in Jaywick Sands and their connection to Jaywick Martello Tower, a Grade II listed building and scheduled ancient monument, built in 1809 to defend against Napoleon which has now been running as an arts and community centre for twenty years.

We will do this through a project that will:

• Bring to life the story of Jaywick through intergenerational storytelling, art, and spoken word workshops/performances to share stories of the past, and to capture the stories of the future.
• Engage with local schools and organisations including hard-to-reach young people and young carers.

The aim is to inspire the next generation to tell the story of their community through storytelling and art workshops, and an output that is decided by the local people involved. Culminating in an exhibition of the work created at Jaywick Martello Tower during the summer and further workshops and events to celebrate the community involved.

The focus will be on supporting existing local organisations to curate a programme that will have their needs at their core and create a sense of community, place-making, and collective achievement.

Postcode: CO15 2DL

Lead organisation: The Inclusion Network CIC

Total grant: £9,810.00

Summary: “Under Our Umbrella” will bring together two groups of Merseyside’s most economically deprived children - from Bootle and Litherland - to research and bring to life their shared coastal heritage, epitomised by the famous Liverpool Overhead Railway, starting at Alexandra Dock, transforming it into a Virtual Reality train ride through the past.

The Liverpool Overhead Railway (known locally as the Dockers' Umbrella, as it provided shelter for port workers during heavy rain) operated along the Liverpool Docks, opening in 1893. We want to explore how this historic railway connected the communities of Bottle and Litherland and bring this to life for a new generation.

We will research the history of the railway itself, its design and construction, the people who made it a reality, and the global trade it facilitated. We will work with local historians and academics and through the archives and resources of the Museum of Liverpool and trade unions.

We will research the histories of the lives and communities the railway connected, particularly Bootle and Litherland. We will capture the oral testimonies and histories of local people who remember and used the railway, recording these stories digitally.

We will use this research to create a virtual reality train journey staging this reconstruction inside the last remaining Overhead Railway carriage, housed in the Museum of Liverpool and capturing it using immersive 360 video cameras and share this work through QR code place markers in both communities and in the Mayor of Liverpool’s office itself.

Postcode: L20 9JH

Lead organisation: Ellacombe C of E Academy (as part of the Learning Academy Partnership)

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: Understanding Ellacombe’s History is a project to enable the families of Ellacombe Academy and Nursery to understand more about, and celebrate, the shared history of the area. During the Victorian Era, the Ellacombe area of Torquay was built for the workers as wealthy Victorians moved to their seaside villas overlooking the sea. Whilst many of the houses remain, an understanding of the importance of the area, and in particular the work of the working classes in enabling Torquay to flourish during the Victorian period has been forgotten; ‘Ellacombe’ has now become more synonymous with high-levels social-economic deprivation and the societal issues which come along with that including crime and drug use.

This project, being led by the school, but in partnership with the local community would enable this history to be explored and understood and lasting artistic outcomes to be created as positive representations of the area’s past. Alongside local historians, the children and the families would have opportunities to learn more about the history of the area and then working with local artists they would create mosaics to attach to the outside of the school building where they could be viewed by the public. The school building – one of the lasting original public Victorian buildings in the area – is geographically situated at the heart of the community and therefore to use its external walls as an ‘art gallery into the past’ would enable all the current residents of, and visitors to, Ellacombe to celebrate in its Working-Class history.

Postcode: TQ1 1TG

Lead organisation: Tyneside Cinema

Total grant: £23,850.00

Summary: When the Boat Comes In: Exploring stories of working class heritage at the North Shields Fish Quay is a co-created project aiming to uncover the stories of the working-class fishing community in the North Shields Fish Quay, exploring the heritage of the industry and the people directly and indirectly impacted by it. The project will address the question, “Has North Shields Fish Quay had its day, or is it thriving?’ through the stories and life experiences of those whose lives and livelihoods are built around the ever-changing landscape of the fish quay and its working-class industries.

Tyneside Cinema holds stories at the heart of what it does. In 1936 our founder’s vision for an independent cinema serving the people of the North East was of a place that told global stories to local people. We’re updating that vision to include telling local stories to local people, finding stories that are important to our communities, and helping them tell those stories, in their own terms, to a wider audience.

Locals at the Fish Quay are keen for their stories to be told, and the Tyneside Cinema project team will support them to decide what they want to tell, how, and to develop the skills and networks needed to tell these stories in an impactful and lasting way. The outcomes of the project, which will be determined and curated by local people, will be shared as part of an event tied to the 800-year celebration of the town and fish quay.

Postcode: NE1 6QG

Lead organisation: Pendle Hill Museum CIC

Total grant: £10,000.00

Summary: When the working classes from the mill towns of East Lancashire wanted to relax in the countryside, they walked, cycled, or (from the 1930s) caught the omnibus from towns like Burnley and Blackburn to head into the picturesque villages at the foot of Pendle Hill, which since 1964 has been within the designated Forest of Bowland National Landscape.

Facing rural depopulation, in the twentieth century the tiny villages of Roughlee, Barley, and Newchurch (2021 total population: 873) reinvented themselves as rural leisure destinations for these workers. This project explores the histories of these rural leisure facilities, collating artefacts since c.1900 and for the first time capturing working class experiences from 1950-80 in their tea gardens, cafes, inns, and boating lakes. It also reveals the untold histories of East Lancashire’s first-generation immigrant workers and their relationships with the neighbouring countryside.

The project explores the changing interplay of work/leisure in history and the evolving nature of outdoors leisure; facilitating intergenerational and intercultural conversations.

Since our knowledge of earlier rural leisure facilities (c.1900) is informed by a handful of postcards from the area, we will work with underrepresented groups to create a postcard series that reflects the diverse people and places which make up local working class rural leisure pursuits today.

The outcomes from these different strands will be brought together in a co-created, pop-up exhibition, launched with a communal picnic in homage to these former facilities. It will also be available digitally so access is not limited by geography.

Postcode: BB12 9LH