HLF awarded a £20,500 grant to Gelvin Area Community Association for the project which will explore the heritage of the area throughout the last 150 years.

Up to 20 local volunteers will take part in the ‘Gelvin Townlands Project’ to explore the heritage of the area and the lives of those who lived and worked there from 1850 to the present day. The volunteers will learn new skills such as oral history techniques, researching and community archiving, enabling them to explore a range of themes including family life, emigration, local industry, farming practises and social and leisure pastimes. The participants will conduct interviews with local residents, collect artefacts and use public records to create an accessible community archive containing maps, photographs, family histories and local stories. 
 
Throughout the course of the project the local community will be encouraged to become involved in the planned activities, which include a series of workshops, talks and practical demonstrations. In addition to the creation of the online archive, a publication will be produced and distributed to local residents, schools and libraries and an exhibition staged to ensure more people will be able to share this heritage and benefit from the project.     

HLF funding was awarded thorough the ‘Your Heritage’ small grants programme which provides grants of up to £50,000 for projects that enable people to learn about and become involved in the heritage that matters to them. 

Commenting on the award, Paul Mullan, Head of HLF Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this project which will create, for the first time, a well researched historical record of the social and economic changes experienced within the area and by its communities during the last 150 years. The fully accessible archive will continue to be developed in the future as new changes and challenges occur, creating a lasting resource for current and future generations.”

Liam Begley, spokesperson for Gelvin Community Association said that the generous support from the Heritage Lottery Fund would be of immense benefit in the months ahead. ‘’Members of our community now have a wonderful opportunity to develop research and recording skills which will be invaluable in the establishment and retention of a broad based historical record of our area.’’
 
HLF has a range of grant giving programmes to support heritage based projects both large and small, and since 1994 has awarded £135 million to projects across Northern Ireland. For more information about HLF and its grants programmes, please call 028 9031 0120 or check the website

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. 

Since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £135 million to projects across Northern Ireland.

Further information

Julie Halliday, HLF Northern Ireland on 07733 100 674 or julieh@hlf.org.uk