Cultures and memories

Cultures and memories

Young people reading poetry around a microphone
Routes2Roots project in Birmingham
These are the customs and traditions, skills and knowledge, passed down to us through generations.

Since 1994 we have awarded £460million to more than 24,100 community and cultural heritage projects across the UK.

What do we support?

We fund projects which help to explore, save and celebrate the traditions, customs, skills and knowledge of different communities.

This cultural heritage is sometimes referred to as intangible or living heritage. This is because it is constantly changing and kept alive when practiced or performed.

We also fund projects which document and share people’s memories. This often involves capturing oral histories and ensuring they are accessible now and in the future.

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

  • research and share oral traditions, such as storytelling or local dialects
  • train others in traditional skills and crafts, from dry stone walling and blacksmithing to basket weaving and textile making
  • research the origins of culture, such as music, theatre or dance, and create performances influenced by past styles
  • share the history and fun of celebrations, festivals or rituals with new audiences, from games and cooking to carnivals and fayres
  • capture accounts of traditional knowledge or pass it on, such as woodland management or home remedies
  • record the stories of ordinary people through oral histories, for example about growing up, migration or work
  • retell people’s memories about a place or event, such as a long-stay hospital, the miners' strikes or the punk movement

How to get funding

If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.

Volunteers testing the digital trail

Projects

Out and Proud Histories in Greater Manchester

The Out and Proud project explores and celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) histories and heritage across Greater Manchester using digital technologies.

a frame from an animated film, showing the inside of a desert hospital
A frame from an animated film created for the project

Projects

World War One: a Valleys View

Young people and communities from the Welsh Valleys uncovered the experiences of Welsh soldiers during the First World War and created digital animations.

North Staffs Miners’ Wives Action Group riot shield installation
North Staffs Miners’ Wives Action Group riot shield installation

Projects

Miners strike 1984-1985: 30 years on

Thirty years after the 1984-5 miners' strike, North Staffs Miners’ Wives Action Group collected and shared the memories of local people.

Souvenir booklet about the work of the Hyde Group of the No-Conscription Fellowship, c.1919.
Souvenir booklet about the work of the Hyde Group of the No-Conscription Fellowship, c.1919.

Projects

Invisible histories from the First World War

Exploring the history of people who objected to fighting in the First World War and telling their stories through an exhibition and educational resources.

If you query is regarding our application portal, please contact our support team.