Cultures and memories

Hibiscus Rising, Leeds. © David Lindsay.
These are the customs and traditions, skills and knowledge, passed down to us through generations.
Since 1994 we have awarded £460million to more than 24,100 community and cultural heritage projects across the UK.
What do we support?
We fund projects which help to explore, save and celebrate the traditions, customs, skills and knowledge of different communities.
This cultural heritage is sometimes referred to as intangible or living heritage. This is because it is constantly changing and kept alive when practiced or performed.
We also fund projects which document and share people’s memories. This often involves capturing oral histories and ensuring they are accessible now and in the future.
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- research and share oral traditions, such as storytelling or local dialects
- train others in traditional skills and crafts, from dry stone walling and blacksmithing to basket weaving and textile making
- research the origins of culture, such as music, theatre or dance, and create performances influenced by past styles
- share the history and fun of celebrations, festivals or rituals with new audiences, from games and cooking to carnivals and fayres
- capture accounts of traditional knowledge or pass it on, such as woodland management or home remedies
- record the stories of ordinary people through oral histories, for example about growing up, migration or work
- retell people’s memories about a place or event, such as a long-stay hospital, the miners' strikes or the punk movement
How to get funding
If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.

News
Uncover the hidden art of Barnsley
In 2012, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) granted the voluntary group Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep (BAYD) £50,000 for a two year learning programme culminating in this exhibition. Support from Barnsley Arts, Museums and Archives Service and Barnsley Adult and Family Learning Service has also helped

News
St Peter's Church, Great Totham, wins Lottery funding
Both the oil paintings have been in St Peter’s since at least 1831, but one of them – a painting of the church itself, dating from 1821 – has not been seen for many years. Until last year it was hidden behind a cupboard in the vestry, where it had suffered badly from damp and dirt. It shows the

News
'Not Just Puddings and Parkin' at Selby High School
Students from the Let’s Get Cooking and Growing Club will investigate traditional Yorkshire food heritage and look at Yorkshire farming, fishing, food production and preservation methods. They will research and recreate traditional Yorkshire dishes using time honoured recipes and cooking techniques

News
Blackpool moves one step closer to £20million museum dream
Together with funding from Blackpool Council and volunteer support this creates a £1.6m pot for the development stage of the project. The Blackpool Museum, planned for the Winter Gardens building, will tell the extraordinary story of the world's first working-class seaside resort, celebrating its

News
The Un-straight Museum, 13-14 June 2014
This international conference, organised by the LGBT arts and social justice organisation Homotopia with National Museums Liverpool, will explore the role of cultural institutions, curators and archivists in representing marginalised communities and promoting diversity. It will address the under

News
Major new exhibition to explore The First World War in the Air
This major new exhibition, will allow museum audiences to discover and explore the unique and often overlooked role of air power during the First World War through the incredible stories of the men and women who took part. The creation of new exhibitions and supporting activities will be delivered

News
Bees, boats and Brunel
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is announcing funding of £30m towards 10 projects that reflect the diversity of the UK’s heritage. They include a far-reaching project to help protect the future of our seriously dwindling bee population, two projects which showcase Bristol as one of the major

News
HLF Wales Committee welcomes new member
The Wales Committee is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region who are chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on applications to the Fund from £100,000 to £2million, the committee are supported by the Wales HLF team

News
HLF South East England Committee welcomes new member
The HLF Committee for the South East is made up of leading figures in the heritage sector across the region chosen for their wide range of experience and local knowledge. Responsible for making decisions on regional applications to the Fund from £100,000 to £2million, the committee are supported by

News
Discovering Cefn Ila’s habitats, hospitals and history
A new generation of local people and visitors alike will now have the opportunity to discover the built, natural and social heritage of one of Usk’s best kept secrets; Cefn Ila. The grant has been awarded to Coed Cadw - The Woodland Trust in Wales, and will enable them to restore built elements of

News
Lottery funded youngsters meet Olympic medallist
Cardiff residents Shanice Mohammed and Sara Khallaf attended the event to share their experiences of being involved in a HLF ‘Young Roots’ project called 16 to 60: A Woman’s Voice that explored the history of women from Pakistani, Bengali, and Somali backgrounds in Butetown and Grangetown.The girls

News
North East circus group take over museum and wow Olympic medallist
The North East Circus Development Trusts’ Five Ring Circus aka Family La Bonche took over the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge and wowed the Olympic star by performing circus tricks in the museum’s galleries and a trapeze routine in the grounds. They attended the event to share their experiences of