Groups across the UK agree and thanks to money raised by National Lottery players they are carrying out projects to ensure this heritage is recorded and shared.

Four projects announced in the North East this week demonstrate the truly amazing diversity of local heritage.

Struggles for social justice…

What inspires people to take action? Why do campaigns for social change work? These questions and Tyneside’s proud links to social justice and anti-racist movements are the focus of an innovative new project. Look out the initial exhibition in April at the Discovery Museum.

The foundation of a museum…

Today, Bede’s World is a popular museum telling the story of the local area. But did you know the key role the Jarrow and Wearmouth community played in the very founding of the museum? Local people – some as young as four – joined an archaeological dig in the 1960s and 1970s and helped to uncover the collection which inspired the museum! Now the museum will thank those involved by telling their stories for the first time.

[quote=Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East] "Who knows a community's heritage better than the people who live within it?"[/quote]

An industry that shaped a community…

"Taking coals to Newcastle" is a familiar phrase describing a pointless act and demonstrates the lasting legacy of the city’s place in coal mining history. Heaton was known for its high-quality coal but also for a disaster which claimed the lives of 75 men and boys. Now a local history group has set out to set the record straight on what really happened and uncover the truth about the lives and challenges of the suburb’s mining community.

The life of a famous feathered resident…

Places are often known for being the home of a particular member of the animal kingdom – from the ravens at the Tower of London to Scotland’s dolphin watching hotspots. Now kittiwake gulls, a common sight on Newcastle and Gateshead’s quayside, are the focus of a brand-new project which will see live footage of their antics streamed into the Baltic Centre for visitors to see.