Salford’s Working Class Movement Library has received £9,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project, Invisible Histories from World War One.
Awarded through HLF’s First World War: then and now programme, the project will focus on stories from WW1 which have been hidden until now.
To mark the Centenary of the First World War the project, which will begin in March 2015, will see volunteers developing an exhibition with a focus on conscientious objectors, the anti-war movement and women’s peace efforts.
The exhibition will run at the Library for four months starting in late 2015. The project also involves the development of ‘Living Histories’ performances of the story of James Hudson, a Salford conscientious objector, and learning resources for Salford schools.
Commenting on the award Library volunteer Chris Clayton said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and look forward to working with Salford schools and local volunteers to discover more about the stories of women and men who through reasons of conscience opposed the First World War”.
Explaining the importance of the HLF support, the head of the HLF in the North West, Sara Hilton, said: “The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. The Heritage Lottery Fund has already invested more than £15million in projects – large and small – that are marking this global Centenary; with our new small grants programme, we are enabling even more communities like those involved in Invisible Histories from World War One to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”
