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.

An expert explaining the historical significance of the docks, on site

Projects

Queenhithe Dock Heritage Timeline

The heritage timeline will explore the histories of people and communities who have influenced the only surviving Anglo Saxon dock, Queenhithe dock.

Opening ceremony of Carlton Towers 1959 Camp Rd / Little London, Leeds
Opening ceremony of Carlton Towers 1959 Camp Rd / Little London, Leeds

Projects

A Little Bit Of History

Heritage can be found in unexpected places and the inner city Leeds area of Little London boasts one of the widest range of communities to be found anywhere in the city.

Line drawing of people

Projects

Gorton 100

The area of Gorton, situated to the south east of Manchester, celebrated its centenary of joining the City of Manchester through the Gorton 100 project.

A young person setting up an exhibition for the From Coal to Goal project
Setting up an exhibition for the From Coal to Goal project

Projects

From Coal to Goal

This intergenerational project explored links between work and leisure, focusing on the Rotherham mining industry and football club, during the 1940s and 1950s.

Volunteers collecting stories of MIND's work
Volunteers collecting stories of MIND's work

Projects

Reflection: 50 Years of Mental Health Heritage

Volunteers worked with their local branch of Mind to collect and share the stories of people who have used the charity’s mental health services over the last 50 years.

Narberth Museum: Letters from the Front
People from Pembrokeshire explore the First World War through soldier’s poignant handwritten letters

Projects

Letters from the Front: Learning from the past

Narberth Museum is researching the letters of a Narberth soldier who shared his experiences on the frontline with friends and family back in Wales.

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