The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced that at least £10m is being set aside over the next four years to fund projects marking some of the UK’s most important anniversaries and commemorative events.
The HLF writes:
The money will be invested to ensure that those moments which form a central part of our national history are commemorated and understood.
Events such as the Diamond Jubilee, and the Olympic and Paralympics Games showed how events can bring the people of the UK together. This new funding reflects the fact there is enormous enthusiasm to provide more opportunities to foster the sense of community spirit and national pride that such events can inspire. It will help to highlight important historical dates that will resonate with people and communities right across the UK.
The funding will be provided to ensure that projects of all sizes can apply for support from smaller grants of a few thousand pounds up to grants over £2m.
Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of HLF, said: ‘Few will forget the most magical events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including an opening ceremony that celebrated UK culture and its achievements and highlighted major moments in our history. We also had the opportunity as a nation to unite people and celebrate excellence.There are many other key times of celebration or sadness from our past and from the diverse stories of these islands that have left a similar impression. This Lottery investment will ensure that these pivotal moments, places or people will not be forgotten by future generations.’
Some of the moments on the horizon that could be supported by this initiative include: the centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth; the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta; the 600th anniversary of Agincourt; the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo; the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death; the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn; the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth, as well as a range of significant dates relating to the Second World War and a decade of anniversaries in Northern Ireland.
Further on-line guidance and expert advice will be available to applicants from January 2014.
HLF News: LINK
