The award of £9,900 will allow the Chinese Children and Parents Association to organise five events which will give local people an opportunity to learn about and engage with traditional Chinese activities.

The ‘Going Chinese in Gloucestershire’ project aims to promote and teach Chinese heritage, language and culture to local communities, especially school children, in Gloucestershire, and to encourage local people to learn more about their growing Chinese community and make a positive contribution to sustaining Chinese heritage for the future. 

The project was launched with two successful events held at the end of February. A Chinese New Year celebration event at Cheltenham Ladies College was a great success; children and teachers from Gloucestershire Mandarin School, Cheltenham Ladies College and Hampstead Dance Factory took part in a school performance, helped by CACH (Children Adopted from China) South West Group and the Young Gloucestershire Volunteers. Councillor Lloyd Surgenor, Martin Horwood, Liberal MP, and Mrs Vicky Tuck, Head teacher of Cheltenham Ladies College were present to open the event.

In a separate event in Cheltenham the school children and teachers of Hesters Way Primary School and St. Thomas More Catholic Primary School were treated to an introduction to Chinese Culture, and the children welcomed in the Year of the Tiger with the traditional Lion Dance.

Community open days scheduled for later in the year will include calligraphy, Chinese painting and paper cutting , telling Chinese stories and legends, making Chinese lanterns, using chopsticks and tasting Chinese food, learning a few words and numbers and the 12 animal birth years in Chinese.

Commenting on the award, Saw See Woods of the Chinese Children and Parents Association, said: "The main aim of our project is to encourage a better understanding and deeper knowledge of both Chinese customs and culture. We are looking forward to participating in the community open days to promote our Chinese heritage, language and culture in the summer, organised through our local councils and neighbourhood resource centres."

The Heritage Lottery Fund’s Head of Region for the South West, Nerys Watts, said: "We are delighted to support this project, which will allow the people of Gloucestershire, and especially young people,  to learn about and share in the fascinating and colourful traditions of their Chinese neighbours, encouraging closer links between communities in the future."

Notes to editors

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since 1994 it has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4 billion across the UK.

Further information

Mrs Saw See Woods, Project Development Officer,
Chinese Children and Parents Association, Hesters Way, Cheltenham GL51 7SU. 

Contact: 01452 531 369 / 07720 637 976 / 07766 310 551 / 07896 530 757. www.glos-mandarinschool.org.uk/