Young people can get as creative as they like in interpreting what heritage means to them - previous projects have organised masquerade balls, photography exhibitions, fashion shows and even a circus performance.

11-25 year olds wanting to apply should come up with a creative idea and join up with a heritage and youth organisation – anything from a local museum, school or football club.

Young Roots projects are about making a real difference to the lives of young people, helping them understand more about their favourite topics and to learn valuable skills along the way. Here are some examples of projects in Yorkshire and the Humber:

• Films have been made in Bradford from as early as the 1890s when many of cinema’s earliest pioneers worked out of the city. In recognition of this, Bradford has been named the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. Young people from a local school have been investigating the history of film in the city using museum and archive collections as well as web and print resources. They gained exclusive behind-the-scenes access to a number of heritage sites and filming locations and produced a 15 minute documentary and app showcasing their findings. Further information can be obtained at the Bradford City of Film website, Twitter: @bfdcityoffilm
• The first Polish families arrived in Kirklees after the Second World War, having endured incredible hardship and persecution. Their experiences and reasons for migration are rarely talked about and although the traditions and beliefs they brought with them are still celebrated, their roots are shrouded in mystery. In recent years the community has seen the addition of newly arrived Polish migrants, including Roma families. Young people from the Polish community in Huddersfield worked closely with Kirklees Community Heritage to learn interviewing, research, archiving and interpreting skills in order to uncover the various histories of Polish people living in Kirklees between 1947 and 2012. The project has brought together different groups to learn about and share this hidden heritage through research, exhibitions and a film
• 2016 is the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot Capability Brown, one of Britain’s most well-known landscape architects. The Follies of Youth (a young people’s collective run by arts commissioning organisation Pavilion) are investigating Brown’s lost landscapes around where they live in West Yorkshire. Working with landscape architects, conservationists, archaeologists and historians, the group are tracing the history of Whitley Beaumont, a Brown-designed pleasure ground that was demolished in the 1950s. They will display their findings at a series of local events and on a new website
• The Ghost of heroes is a project exploring heroism in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby during the First World War. The SS Rohilla was a hospital ship that ran aground in October 1914 near Whitby. Young people are researching the reasons for the crash, the people on board, the various lifeboat crews involved and the community spirit of the hundreds of Whitby folk who joined in the rescue. Whitby was also bombarded by German bombers, bringing the war home to the people of this small town. The project is investigating local materials to discover how if affected them and how they coped. Two separate musical theatre productions will be created from the research and CDs and a website will also be produced

Katharine Boardman, Development Officer at HLF Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Young Roots is all about helping young people to explore something that is important to them, from the town that they are from to their hobbies and favourite sports clubs. We’d love to hear from groups in Yorkshire and the Humber who want to know more about their favourite topic and have inventive ways of bringing this story to life. Please get in touch with us today.”

You can apply for funding at any time and it’s really easy to find out whether Young Roots is right for you. Get in touch with your local HLF team in Yorkshire and the Humber.