The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awards £440,000 to new project - Full Circle – which connects people with the screen heritage of the Midlands

The Media Archive for Central England (MACE), which is based at the University of Leicester, has recently been awarded £440,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Full Circle project, which will draw communities together in discovering the rich history available through film footage.

Over 60 communities will be supported in this region-wide search for local film footage. MACE will use the funding to support local history societies and other organisations to aid them in uncovering film and presenting it to the community.  Full Circle is interested in collecting everything from dusty reels found in the attic to home videos of the local village fete.

Once film footage is found, MACE will process the films to make them accessible, and then they will be given back to the community to be used for film screenings, events and as a resource for local museums.

The project aims to enthuse and inspire local communities about the wealth of heritage available through film. Full Circle will run for 3 years, but aims to have a lasting impact on local communities across the region. By collecting and showing films in local communities, the project aims to build interest in local history and develop a sense of belonging and place in people throughout the Midlands.

James Patterson, who is Director of MACE (Media Archive for Central England) and is also heading up the Full Circle project, commented: “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported this exciting project. It will enrich people’s perception of local history and bring together communities across the Midlands region. Since the invention of film in 1895, the medium has developed into the most important means of communication and film archives provide a unique record of history.”