German communities and circus animals, High Street businesses and soldiers training for the Western Front – these are just some of the different points of view the projects will use to explore the legacy of the conflict.

Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, said: “The impact of the First World War was far-reaching – touching and shaping communities across the North East, the UK and beyond. Thanks to National Lottery players, projects throughout the region are creating an increasingly rich and lasting memory of the First World War and its legacy.”

Today’s awards bring the total amount of funding for North East projects through HLF’s First World War Then and Now programme to more than £750,000.

The projects being announced today are:

A Disability Perspective, Park View Project - £8,700

A brand new website community will enable disabled people to team up with Buddies to explore North Tyneside life during the First World War, upload their own stories and explore their ancestry.

Always Remembered, North East War Memorials Project - £10,000

Today nearly every village and town across the country has a memorial dedicated to those fallen during war. Always Remembered will uncover and film the story of the origin, construction and significance of war memorials in the North East.

Business As Usual, North Tyneside VODA - £ 9,900

Disabled North Tyneside students are set to discover how the First World War affected business on the High Street. They will create wartime shop fronts and a temporary recruitment office where visitors can experience what it was like to sign up to their local battalion, undergo a medical assessment and even take part in a parade.

For Those in Peril on the Sea, Waterville Primary School - £ 9,500

Youngsters will commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Jutland by exploring the role of the North Shields community during conflicts at sea. Visits to the docks, where some of their grandparents worked, will see the children discover more about fishing boats at war, learn flag signals used at the Battle of Jutland and mark the centenary of the New Year’s Eve sinking of the pilot cutter Protector.

German communities in the First World War, Northern Cultural Projects CIC - £9,500

The First World War and resulting ‘Germanophobia’ often brought an end to harmonious life for German communities living in the UK. Volunteers and members of German communities in the North East will carry out research into sentiments and propaganda, collect memories, create performances and a touring exhibition to share this little-known perspective on the First World War.

Training for the Front, The Heritage Centre Bellingham - £ 9,900

Artillery units in the newly formed Territorial Force from all around the UK came to Redesdale and Hareshaw camps for training. Following the declaration of war, Redesdale became a major training site, with tens of thousands of men and a huge amount of supplies arriving by train. Recruits underwent extensive training including how to build trenches – evidence of which still exists today - and utilise artillery. Redesdale Camp was later absorbed into the Otterburn Training Ground. This project will create, for the first time, a central archive of the two camps thanks to locally and nationally sourced records and memories passed down through generations.  

War Circus, North East Circus Development Trust - £ 9,800

What happened to the performers and animals of the North East’s circuses during the First World War? This project is set to find out how circus traditions, relationships and art were affected by the conflict and will share its findings with the Imperial War Museum and the National Fairground Archive.

Wear Valley in the Great War, U3A Wessington - £ 9,500

A German prisoner of war, a one-armed postman and a war poet from Durham – these are just some of the stories this project will share and collect from towns and villages along the River Wear. The year-long project will culminate in a film premiered at Beamish Museum.

Further information

Rebecca Lamm, HLF press office, on tel: 020 7591 6027 or via email: Rebecca.Lamm@hlf.org.uk