Young volunteers between the ages of 12 and 18 will learn about how different wars have influenced how they live today using traditional research and digital technology,

This 18-month project will be divided into three phases. Each phase will work with a different group of volunteers and concentrate on a specific era. A final exhibition of song, dance, digital and printed media will show-case the project whilst a new website telling these stories will be developed and run by the volunteers.

Following the exhibition the project will tour the North East sharing some of the amazing military heritage with the local communities.

Head of Heritage Lottery Fund North East, Ivor Crowther, said: "This project will explore and celebrate the part that the North East played in the First and Second World Wars as well as the historic battles of our ancestors. We know that heritage can provide opportunities for people across the community to mix and learn from one another, giving young people a very real sense of who they are and where they come from. This project could offer an amazing range of diverse training opportunities and will encourage people to learn about the significant record of military heritage, including the effects it has on our lives today."

David McKenzie, Chief Executive Northumberland County Scouts - LookwideUK, said: "This is an excellent opportunity to involve young people with limited experience of conflict in a project which turns history from a school subject to living reality through a close examination of how events effect real people  in real situations."

Volunteers will be given the opportunity to capture and record the memories of their grandparents and great grandparents through listening to their personal experiences, re-telling stories of resilience, food rationing and the part they played in the war effort. Through the interview process the young people will be able to interact with, and learn from, older generations and build an understanding of the sacrifices made by their ancestors that have impacted on the way they live today.

Looking further back, the young people will undertake wider research into the Roman invasion and the Anglo Saxon settlement and how the very essence of the Geordie dialect dates back to Anglo Saxon. Examples can be found in common Geordie words like Dede, Coo, Cloot, Hoos, Wrang, Strang and Lang are in fact the original Anglo-Saxon pronunciations for Dead, Cow, Clout, House, Wrong, Strong and Long. They will be supported in this by The Northumberland Language Society (NLS). 

With the spectacular Hadrian’s Wall as one of the area’s most famous heritage treasures, the Northumberland Scout Council have arranged for volunteers and members of the public to take part in controlled mini-archeological digs learning heritage skills such as conservation, restoration, and how to record and monitor a dig. Getting involved in a practical skill activity like this will allow local people to relate to each other and learn how war has helped the development of the North East into the region it is today.

This inspired project follows a previous successful HLF-funded project called ‘From Coal to Cod’ a proud history of a proud people.

Notes to editors

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported 33,900 projects, allocating £4.4billion across the UK with £209million in the North East alone.

Further  information

HLF press office: Lucinda Tyrell on 0207 591 6031, lucindat@hlf.org.uk or Laura Bates on 0207 591 6027, lbates@hlf.org.uk

LookwideUK contact detail: David McKenzie on 0191 274 3335, david.mckenzie@lookwide.org.uk