Enfield Council has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a series of community heritage activities - Stories of Enfield. Community organisations and individuals who have ideas for suitable activities are invited to apply for training which will enable them to devise, develop and deliver their projects. The range of possible subject matter is broad, and there are many different ways in which each story could be presented.
Do you have an Enfield story to tell?
Do you have a building, an object, a tradition, a memory or a place in the borough you want to explore and engage others with?
Enfield Council are interested in hearing from any not-for-profit organisation or individual who lives works or studies in Enfield who wants to run a heritage project. Grants are available of in between £3000 - £10,000 and our training programme running in June will support you in creating and delivering heritage projects, ranging from museum exhibitions and theatre performances to guided walks and dance pieces that celebrate Enfield’s heritage.
As a first step, please contact the council's Cultural Heritage Development Officer, , for more details and to discuss your heritage project idea by 23rd May
The Stories of Enfield project will be funded by a grant of £83,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which in 2019 designated Enfield as one of 13 local authorities which will be prioritised for funding over a five-year period. The council anticipates a total of between 10 and 15 projects, with project grants likely to range from £3,000 to £10,000.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has specified that its money should be spent on involving a wider range of people in heritage activities and that there should be "a particular focus on reaching those millions of people in the UK who are typically under-represented in heritage or who face barriers to being involved" - including disabled people, young people, people from minority ethnic and LGBT+ communities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
What the council says about Stories of Enfield
Through this project we will work with partners and local communities to increase the visibility of Enfield’s heritage. We will enable Enfield residents to get involved in heritage and we will show how heritage can make a real difference to people’s lives, building a positive sense of place. By supporting and sharing stories of our local community and engaging people with heritage, Enfield will become an even better place to live, work in and visit. Residents will feel more equipped and more confident to take ownership of Enfield’s heritage and continue to explore the rich history of the borough.
The council will be using a broad definition of "heritage", to include:
- stories (of communities, organisations, activism and ideas)
- cultures (including food, dance, music, languages and crafts)
- parks, green spaces and natural habitats
- objects, buildings and archaeological remains
- faiths
- memories
- traditional sports and games.
The ways in which the projects could be presented also cover a wide spectrum, including:
- exhibitions
- festivals
- oral histories
- art installations
- theatre pieces
- reminiscence sessions
- cookery classes
- outdoor trails.
Before applying for grants to run a project groups and individuals will attend seven training sessions (to be held in June, probably online, depending on the Covid situation) which will teach them how to identify their heritage, identify an objective for their projects, develop activities, engage audiences and more.
The Stories of Enfield project will be run by a steering committee comprising six Enfield residents plus council staff.
Links
Local groups encouraged to seek Lottery funding for heritage projects (Palmers Green Community 21 October 2019)
