The event marked the 10th anniversary of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Young Roots programme alongside promoting the availability of more funding in the future.

Rhymney Centurions (pictured) is just one of over 1,250 Young Roots projects benefiting more than 65,000 young people from across the UK to have benefited from Lottery funding since 2002. This event provided groups with the opportunity to showcase their projects and share their experiences with a selection of MPs.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of HLF, said: “Over the last 10 years we have seen some great projects come out of the HLF Young Roots programme - led by passionate young people who have been exploring their heritage in new ways while developing skills and confidence. Young people can offer a fresh and imaginative approach to local heritage projects, picking up CV-enhancing skills and experience along the way. We want to hear from heritage and youth workers and young people themselves to discuss the type of projects we can support.”

John Penrose MP, Minister for Heritage and Tourism, said: “The Heritage Lottery Fund’s Young Roots programme is just what the Lottery should be about: helping youngsters understand and get involved in our national history and heritage. Young people are the future guardians of our heritage, so it’s important that we give them the resources and support to help them get involved in projects while they have the time and the freedom to do so. I also warmly welcome HLF’s recent news of an increased budget of £4million for the programme.  I urge all my fellow parliamentary colleagues to talk to local youth and heritage groups in their constituency and encourage them to talk to HLF about creative project ideas – this is a great opportunity for us all.”

Notes to editors

• Since 2002 the Young Roots programme has awarded over £27m of Lottery funding to over 1,250 projects led by young people, helping more than 65,000 young people explore and share their heritage.  
• From 1 April 2012, HLF will increase the funding available for its Young Roots programme by £1m, tacking the annual budget to £4m.  In addition, it is doubling the grant threshold to £50,000, providing organisations with greater capacity and the confidence to develop innovative and high quality projects with paid youth work staff.  The length of projects has also been extended to two years, making it easier for groups to incorporate time for project development and evaluation.
• To find out more information on the Young Roots programme and the recent changes.

Further information

Please contact Laura Bates, HLF Press Office, on tel: 020 7591 6027 or lbates@hlf.org.uk