The UK National Lottery's Heritage First World War: Then and Now programme provides grants of £3,000 to £10,000 to communities wishing to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Stamford is the latest town to benefit from a £10,000 grant and the lottery funding will be used to pay for a four-year project that will focus on how the war affected the town. An additional cash boost of £3,500 has been provided by the Lincolnshire County Council’s big community fund.
The project is being organized under the supervision of Sam Roddan (from the non-profit organization Art Pop-Up), Max Sawyer (Stamford Council), and Steve Bonde (Royal British Legion). They will be assisted by a team of volunteers.
"We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as our local county councilors and Stamford Town Council," Roddan said. "This will allow us to draw together details from the many archives, providing the opportunity for the local community to explore and understand what our town went through during this important moment in our national history."
Part of the project will involve research into local history at the time of the war's outbreak, and information will be drawn together from 24 different archives, including newspapers, schools, hospitals and the town hall. Year one of the project will focus on 1914 and local residents are being encouraged to get involved and help with the project in any way they can.
