Awarded through the First World War: Then and Now programme, the 18-month project will involve the whole community in discovering more about the people who served in the First World War as well as the impact the war had on the rural community of Cheadle, Staffordshire.

The project will enable local people to come together to preserve the memories and heritage of the people who lived through the First World War. Volunteers will collect photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and photo keepsakes, as well as family tales passed down to them, to build a picture of life at that time and present them as exhibitions, displays and workshops.

A civic service and reception with commemorative medals and a commemorative sculpture are also planned as a legacy of the project.

Ivan Wozniak, Discovery Group Trustee Member, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It will allow us to discover and share more of our local history as well as create a fitting tribute to those who served.”

A special theme of the project will involve researching the work of local war poet Charles Masefield, publishing a tribute booklet to the people who served and organising a horse pageant depicting how local horses were commandeered for despatch to the front line.

Mike Plant, secretary of Cheadle Historical Society, explained: “This project provides an exciting challenge for the historical society. We will need to rely heavily on local people to provide information, artefacts and to generate comprehensive records of our social history.”

Explaining the importance HLF support, the head of the HLF in the West Midlands, Reyahn King, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching; touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. The HLF has already invested £57million in projects – large and small – that are marking this global Centenary. Through our First World War: Then and Now programme we are enabling even more people like those involved in Cheadle Remembers to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and broaden their understanding of how it has shaped the modern world and the community they live in.”

Notes to editors
Cheadle Discovery Group is a charitable organisation based in Cheadle Discovery Heritage centre in the centre of the town. The group aims to advance the education of the local public in its history and culture.

Further information
Cheadle Discovery Group, Ivan Wozniak, on tel: 01538 751 200 or email: woznii@aol.com.