These eight projects will explore some very different perspectives of the First World War thanks to HLF's First World War Then and Now programme.

German communities and circus animals, High Street businesses and soldiers training for the Western Front – these are just some of the different points of view the projects will use to explore the legacy of the conflict.

This batch of projects will explore a wide range of themes. These include:

[quote=Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East]“Groups throughout the region are creating an increasingly rich and lasting memory of the First World War and its legacy.”[/quote]

• Recreating a wartime High Street with shop front displays and a recruitment office
• Exploring life in North Tyneside during the First World War
• Researching the origins and importance of war memorials in towns and villages across the region
• Discovering what happened to circus performers and animals and how traditions were changed
• Commemorating the centenary of the Battle of Jutland and the role of the North Shields community in conflicts at sea
• Telling the little-known story of the impact the First World War had on the local German community
• Uncovering the incredible story of the thousands of men who trained at the Redesdale and Hareshaw camps – which later became Otterburn Training Ground
• Creating a film of stories from along the River Wear – from a German prisoner of war to a war poet from Durham

Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, said: “Groups throughout the region are creating an increasingly rich and lasting memory of the First World War and its legacy.”