Julie was pleased to be involved in putting on an event in Parliament to discuss the work that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) does all over the country.

The Centenary of the First World War is a chance to understand the war, uncover its stories and explore what it means to us today. Julie found out more about how the Heritage Lottery Fund supports projects across the UK that focus not just on the events of 1914-;1918 but also on the lasting changes the war brought about.

The Heritage Lottery Fund is making at least £1million a year available until 2019 as part of the First World War: then and now programme for small, community grants.  It provides grants of £3,000 to £10,000 enabling groups right across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.

Julie would like constituents to think about how they would like to mark the Centenary.  The Heritage Lottery Fund say that projects will include:

• researching, identifying and recording local heritage;
• creating a community archive or collection;
• developing new interpretation of heritage through exhibitions, trails, smartphone apps etc;
• researching, writing and performing creative material based on heritage sources;
• conserving and finding out more about war memorials

At the event, Julie said: “I’m delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund is making this money available to local communities. The impact of the First World War on the people of Sunderland was widespread and for those who want to find out more about its legacy or who wish to mark the Centenary, I would urge them to get in touch with Heritage Lottery Fund.”    

Since April 2010, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded over £70million to more than 1,300 projects -; large and small -; that will mark the Centenary of First World War. If a group have a project idea to mark the Centenary of the First World War, an online application pack is available http://www.hlf.org.uk/ThenAndNow.  If a group needs a grant of more than £10,000 for a First World War project, it can apply to HLF through its open programmes.