Grants help communities mark centenary of First World War

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is launching a £6m small grants programme to help communities mark the milestone with their own projects.

At least £1m will be available per year for six years to provide grants between £3,000 and £10,000 for communities to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage.

Community groups in Leeds, Bradford, Ripon and Grimsby are helping to launch the national scheme, having already started projects which tell the stories of the conflict in their area.

Headingley teacher training college’s former incarnation as a military hospital in Leeds is the focus of one group, while another is restoring the war memorial in Spa Gardens, Ripon. A third project will see young people exploring the tale of the Grimsby Chums and the terrible fate that met them at the Battle of the Somme.

Launching the programme at the House of Commons today, Culture Secretary Maria Miller will say: “It is completely right that we mark the centenary of the First World War.

“But what we do also needs to help create an enduring cultural and educational legacy for communities.

“The HLF grant programme announced today will play a big part in this.”

Fiona Spiers, head of HLF Yorkshire, added: “The impact of the First World War was far-reaching. The Heritage Lottery Fund’s new programme will enable communities in Yorkshire to explore the continuing legacy of this war and help young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how the conflict has influenced our modern world.”