Cardiff Remembers – Caerdydd yn Cofio project wins Heritage Lottery Fund Support
11 / 12 / 2014Darparwyd yr eitem hon i Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918 yn Saesneg yn unig.
A group of Cardiff’s heritage, cultural, academic and community organisations are celebrating this week after being awarded a £46,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for their project to commemorate the First World War in Cardiff, Cardiff Remembers – Caerdydd yn Cofio.
The project has been formulated by Firing Line Museum, Cardiff Story Museum, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Archives and the Western Front Association, and has involved organisations such as the Red Cross, Royal College of Music and Drama, Cardiff Libraries, Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales, amongst many others in its development. Schoolchildren and volunteers will get the opportunity to develop skills and learn about the First World War from both a local and global context.
The Cardiff Remembers – Caerdydd yn Cofio project will see Firing Line Museum, Cardiff Story Museum, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Archives and the Western Front Association working with schools in several Communities First areas, with NEETs and young people, in partnership with several of Cardiff’s heritage, cultural and educational institutions and providers, and will culminate in a major exhibition next year. The project will also create resources for teachers and organisations to use in relation to the First World War, and a ‘one stop shop’ website for Cardiffians to find out what is going on in the city/county to commemorate the War.
Rachel Silverson, Curator at the Firing Line Museum explains, “The project will create a major dual site exhibition to be held at the Cardiff Story and Firing Line Museums in September-November 2015, to commemorate the anniversary of Cardiff Battalion’s last visit to the city before they were sent to the Front. Children and young people’s research and their creative responses will be incorporated as integral part of these exhibitions. It’s very exciting!”
“We are hoping that we will find new stories about Cardiffians during the First World War” explains Victoria Rogers, Museum Manager at the Cardiff Story Museum, “we would love to hear from anyone with any information or mementoes, items, photographs or objects that can help tell their ancestors stories.”
Leader of the City of Cardiff Council, Cllr Phil Bale commented, “As the capital city of Wales, Cardiff clearly plays an important ceremonial role in observing the centenary of World War I. It is crucial that Cardiff honours its own, local story. I am sure participants and volunteers will gain a great deal from this project, and that the wider community will also obtain greater understanding of the impact made by the War on Cardiffians and the city’s history.”
Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, Jennifer Stewart, said, “We want to help as many communities and people as possible across Wales to commemorate the First World War and to recognise the long-lasting impact the conflict had on their communities. The Cardiff Remembers – Caerdydd yn Cofio project will provide opportunities for people to get involved by sharing artefacts and stories as well as learning about how it shaped the local area and its significance to local people.”