The Past, Present and Future of St Mary’s Stained Glass project received £246,883 in 2022 to protect the church’s collection of stained glass, engage people with new interpretation and raise the profile of heritage skills.

The project impressed judges with its creative and well thought-through approach to acknowledging National Lottery funding, winning our acknowledgement competition in 2024.

The best acknowledgement takes inspiration from the heritage at the heart of the project.

Sarah Britton, Brand and Design Manager, The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Created in collaboration with local artist, Andy McKeown, the laser-etched acknowledgement stamp is fitted into a birch wood frame in keeping with its setting.

Q&A with Anthony Willder, Head of North, CCT

How did the heritage inspire and inform your approach to acknowledgement?

We were keen to ensure the acknowledgement was in keeping with the aesthetic of the Grade I listed building. The round wooden shape reflects the 16th and 17th-century stained glass roundels recently repaired and conserved. The beautiful fretwork takes inspiration from the Victorian iron heating grills located amongst the 19th-century floor tiles.

Tell us more about your collaboration with a local artist.

We’re fortunate to have an existing relationship with Andy McKeown, a light and sound artist, animator and programmer. Continuing that partnership felt like a natural step. We were hopeful that the outcome would be something that felt unique to the fabric of the building.

Why was it important to highlight the role of National Lottery players in supporting your project?

Our project wouldn’t have been possible without National Lottery players. The stained glass at St Mary’s was at risk of being lost forever. This funding has enabled us to repair damage to the stained glass and protect it for future generations.

The impact of the project has been huge – thanks to a successful programme of community engagement, St Mary’s has become a hub for the community. It’s wonderful to see the church being used and enjoyed by local people and visitors to Shrewsbury.

How did you put sustainability at the heart of your project?

Sustainability was really important. From using local skilled craftspeople to printing the exhibition interpretation on sustainable cloth, our aim was to consider our impact on the environment at all stages of the project. Our acknowledgement was crafted from sustainably sourced wood and uses energy efficient LED lights, ensuring minimal energy consumption.

What advice would you give to others when planning their acknowledgement?

• Think about acknowledgement from the very start of your project. Considering acknowledgement as integral, and not something additional, helped us to achieve something that was truly tailored to our heritage.
• Consider a collaboration with an artist or local craft person. This brought an extra dimension to our acknowledgement and made it really successful.
• At application stage, research different approaches to acknowledgement. Look at a few different options and get approximate costs from suppliers so that you can include these in your project budget.
• Be inspired by your project and use the heritage as a starting point. Could you create something out of wood, metal or stone? What are your project outputs? It’s easy to include acknowledgement in print or video content. 

Celebrating great acknowledgement

Sarah Britton, our Brand and Design Manager, says: “We’ve seen some really creative examples of projects saying thank you to National Lottery players – from murals to embroideries and wood carvings to flowerbeds. The best acknowledgement takes inspiration from the heritage at the heart of the project.”

The prize for winning our acknowledgement competition was to collaborate with us on a film for social media, highlighting the project and what it has achieved to new audiences.