The project will be run by the Rural Media Company, and the research will be used for local tourism and education across the county, thanks to a £29,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The children will be exploring local civil war conflicts between Parliamentarians and Royalists during the rule of King Charles I, which spanned a decade between 1641 and 1651. Key events include the hanging of a local man at Ewyas Harold Castle; the part a group of local children played in repelling Parliament besiegers within Hereford City walls; and the bloody events at Goodrich Castle and Croft Castle. The project will see Ewyas Harold Primary looking at the Ewyas Harold Battle, Lord Scudamore primary learning about the Hereford City sites, Goodrich Primary focusing on the Goodrich Castle events and finally Luston Primary will investigate Croft Castle.

Through this exciting film project the group aims to produce Herefordshire’s first comprehensive civil war resource, which will be presented as a guide book complete with photos and short written pieces from each of the four historic sites along with a DVD. Working with local partners Herefordshire Archaeology, the Tourist Board and The History Squad the group will learn an integral part of their local heritage while gaining technical and media skills from professionals.

Speaking for the Rural Media Company, organiser of the project, Adrian Lambert, said: “Royalists and Roundheads is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Herefordshire to discover more about their local heritage and the deadly deeds of the English Civil War. All of the primary schools involved will create their own animation about each of the sites and, with the help of Herefordshire Archaeology, contribute to a local guide leaflet that will not only highlight the civil war sites but provide an education resource for schools across the county.”

The project will run from March to September and the documentation produced will be available through the county’s 6 tourist information centres. It will also be circulated to all primary and secondary schools in Herefordshire for use in the history curriculum, and to museums and libraries across the county.

Anne Jenkins, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands, said: “Herefordshire is rich in English civil war history which makes this is an exciting and inspiring project for local young people. It will not only see them learn an integral part of their local heritage with a hands on approach, but their research will also benefit the rest of their community.”

When asked how he felt about the project, Lewis Schmidt a year six student from Lord Scudamore Primary, said: “I am very excited about bringing these places to life; the animation will be great fun! We want to share our local history and show everyone this is an exciting area to live.”

Notes to editors

Using money raised through the National Lottery, since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has not only revitalised hundreds of museums, parks, historic buildings, landscapes and wildlife sites, but has also given new meaning to heritage itself. People from every walk of life are now involved with the heritage that inspires them, making choices about what they want to keep and share from the past, for future generations. HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating over £4.4billion across the UK, including £319million to projects in the West Midlands region alone.

To date, grants worth just over £20million have been awarded to more than 270 projects in Herefordshire.

Further information

Robert Smith, HLF Press Office on 020 7591 6245 or roberts@hlf.org.uk

Adrian Lambert, Rural Media Company on 01432 344 039 or adrianl@ruralmedia.co.uk