The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage and believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration and to build pride in place and connection to the past. This is EXACTLY what has happened in Clayton-le-Moors! Phase One of the Lottery funded project culminated in a permanent ‘free-to-view’ exhibition now proudly residing in the main hall of Clayton Community Centre. Now local residents who formed a Heritage Project Team over 18 months ago, are raring to get started on Phase Two, having been informed last week that their £10k second bid was ALSO successful!
The group, who meet fortnightly on Thursday afternoons at the Hyndburn Leisure owned community centre are warm and welcoming to new members and now have another 18 months to complete a book, ‘Clayton-le-Moors – A People’s History’ and an ambitious plan to create their very own short animation. This animation is designed to make the rich local heritage more widely available. Schools, care homes and other community facilities will also see supportive materials such as colouring books and fact sheets being produced to make this exciting journey as far-reaching and inclusive as possible. Richard Fearn – Head of Animation and Events at First Image (www.firstimage.co.uk) said: ” I was born and bred in Clayton-le-Moors, and this passion project combines my love of animation and history, with social purpose and community at its heart. First Image has created animations for major brands all around the world but this heritage project feels really personal, and we’re thrilled to be getting involved. Already the ideas are flowing to showcase a fantastic end-product in eighteen months’ time.”
Group member and local oft-times published authoress Gillian McDonald-Constable is equally as enthused about the history book part of the new project too: “I’ve spent literally years researching and studying Clayton-le-Moors history and when I learned of the Heritage Group and their parallel ambitions to showcase our unique and interesting history, I couldn’t help but get involved. Now we’re all on a journey together to make what was originally a solo idea of a highly readable and accessible local history book into truly a team effort.”
To kick-start proceedings, the group sent a special ‘book-buying envoy’ to a Local History Book Selling Event Sunday 6th April at the Peel Park Hotel Accrington as their first of three planned ‘Inspirational Visits’ – “Jill[left] and Margaret hunted down several books which will really assist our project” said Ian Hodgson, Community Activator at the Clayton Community Centre; “Margaret managed to buy two very old Clayton-le-Moors pop bottles too which will go on display at the community centre.”
