Mims Davies MP is pleased to welcome Historic England’s announcement of their second round of funding for Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories.
These grants will fund community-led and people-focused projects to tell the stories of people and places missing from the records of history.
They will be inviting community and heritage organisations to apply for grants of up to £25,000, but are also interested in funding smaller grassroots projects starting at £1,000 in the hope of reaching people they haven’t worked with before.
Launched for the first-time last year, the scheme has already funded 57 projects, celebrating fascinating untold stories from across England.
Each grant awarded last year has left lasting legacies for the communities involved. In Surrey, The Friends of Horton Cemetery have created ceramic flowers to commemorate psychiatric patients in the five hospitals in Epsom who were buried without commemoration from 1899 onwards. In West Sussex, Littlehampton Town Football Club are running an intergenerational project to collect oral histories, conduct research, record match chants and songs and share stories with the community as part of the Club’s 125th anniversary.
Each project should enable people to share untold stories about the places where they live, encouraging communities to examine and tell stories in their own ways. The projects selected will contribute positively to participants’ wellbeing, as well as provide innovative volunteering opportunities.
Local heritage gives people a sense of pride in place and can act as a powerful catalyst for increasing local opportunities and prosperity.
Information on how to apply can be found here
Applications close on Tuesday 7th November, 2023.