DIVERSITYLEWES.ORG.UK

SUSSEX BASED COMMUNITY INTEREST GROUP




Re-animating artefacts: Exploring the stories of Asante gold weights

Heritage Lottery Fund Bid

Sharing Heritage: Celebrating Afro-Caribbeans in Sussex Past & Present

Diversity Lewes celebrates £10K Heritage Lottery Fund grant

Diversity Lewes has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) Sharing Heritage programme, it was announced today. £10,000 has been given to help the group run an exciting project called Celebrating Afro-Caribbeans in Sussex past and present, in Lewes, East Sussex.
The project will look at ten inspiring individuals chosen because they have a connection with Sussex and are or were members of the Afro-Caribbean community. These individuals will include politicians, sports personalities, literary figures, artists, and other extraordinary local role models and mentors who have made a significant contribution to Sussex's heritage, over the last 200 years and up to the present day. The grant will be used to train volunteers to research into their stories and subsequently collect and compile archived and personal items and photographs to mount an exhibition that will be shown Sussex wide.
Diversity Lewes' Celebrating Afro-Caribbean s in Sussex Past and Present will work with volunteers from the different community organisations including Gypsy Travellers, Lewes Group in Support of Refugees and Asylum seekers, Lewes Seniors Forum, The Black Ethnic Minority Health Forum, Diversity Resources International, Brighton and Hove Black History Month Group, Brighton University, Priory High School, Brighton Museum, The Sussex Police and the Keep (East Sussex Records Office) to raise awareness on how these people influenced Sussex, and their links to local communities.
The project will also assist volunteers to acquire skills in oral history by attending workshops, field work, research, archiving and handling. Volunteers will also support the delivery of the exhibition by choosing objects and mounting it.
Commenting on the award, Anthony Kalume the chair of Diversity Lewes, said: “We are so glad to have been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and we are looking forward to working with the volunteers who are very keen to get started.”
Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund  South East England said: “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that Diversity Lewes can embark on a real journey of discovery. Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”
ENDS
 

Notes to editors

About Diversity Lewes

Diversity Lewes is a community interest group that creates awareness on all things discriminatory. We work with schools, the community and the police to realise our aims. All the dedicated members provide voluntary services. Visit www.diversitylewes.org.uk.
Sharing Heritage is for any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. With a commitment from HLF of £3m each year, Sharing Heritage grants between £3,000 and £10,000 are available to groups who want to discover their local heritage. Projects can cover a wide spectrum of subject matter from exploring local archaeology and a community’s cultures and traditions to identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment to managing and training volunteers, and holding festivals and events to commemorate the past.
 

Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery
 
For further information, images and interviews, please contact
Anthony Kalume at Diversity Lewes
tony@diversitylewes.org.uk