Cardiff West MP and Shadow Arts & Heritage recently attended a House of Commons event hosted by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to celebrate the contribution made by local communities across the UK to mark the First World War Centenary.
Since 2010, National Lottery funding has enabled more than 2,200 projects to explore and share thousands of diverse stories of the First World War. From stories of Pals battalions, soldiers from Commonwealth nations and conscientious objectors through to women’s work, food shortages and the impact of the war on children, the stories have been varied and illustrate the First World War beyond the frontlines.
After meeting a range of community groups and hearing the stories they have uncovered, Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West, said:
“It’s been inspirational to see how communities across the UK have been responding to the First World War Centenary and I'm pleased to see the National Lottery are helping these projects with their grants programme." said Kevin.
"As a Welsh MP and the Shadow Minister for Arts & Heritage I was particularly pleased to see community projects such as those by Head4Arts in South Wales which aims to tell the stories behind the First World War through art projects such as their 'The Last Post / Yr Utgorn Olaf ' play.
Ros Kerslake, HLF’s CEO, said: “The First World War was a truly global conflict, stretching out across oceans and continents. But its impact at home was huge. Communities, families and society were forever changed by this war."
"National Lottery funding has empowered people to discover and share the thousands of stories of the First World War that matter to them. And the response from communities has been an inspiration.”
In 2012, HLF launched a community grants programme called First World War: then and now, offering grants are available between £3,000 to £10,000. Over the Centenary, HLF awarded more than £14million to community projects.
In addition, HLF awarded larger grants to First World War projects. Projects include Imperial War Museum’s First World War Galleries; HMS Caroline and the home of First World War soldier and poet Hedd Wyn. Total HLF funding in the First World War Centenary comes to almost £100million.
For more information on HLF’s funding for First World War Centenary projects visit: www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/news-features/OneCentenary or follow #OneCentenary100Stories on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.