Thanks to National Lottery funding, thousands of young people and communities throughout Wales have already been involved in activities marking the Centenary such as: researching and recording local heritage; conserving and finding out more about war memorials; and using digital technology to share the fascinating stories they uncover.

Projects showcasing their achievements on the day included Coedpoeth Community Council and Montgomery Town Council who showed how they had restored memorials to the fallen of the First World War in their areas while researching the often untold histories of the names on the memorials.

We also heard from young people from Menai Bridge, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen about how their involvement in Lottery supported projects had helped their understanding of the impact of the First World War and helped them to share the stories they uncovered with more people. A group of young people working with Head for Arts, a community arts organisation, created an animation to tell the story of a young soldier writing home to his family which was shown at the event.

A number of projects were also uncovering different perspectives of the First World War such as the role of women in Wales, or the British story in Egypt and Palestine. A project being delivered by the Wales Centre for International Affairs also explained their focus on the impact the First World War had on the search for peace in the century that has followed.

The event showcased just a handful of 79 First World War Centenary projects taking place across Wales, thanks to more than £5million of investment from HLF and we have now made an additional £4m available in 2015/16 for communities looking to explore, conserve and share local heritage of the First World War. 

Do you have a project in mind?

Funding is available throughout the Centenary. If you have a project idea, visit our Understanding the First World War feature and get in touch. We want to hear from you.