Burnley heritage project receives £185k boost

Building Bridges in Burnley has been awarded £185,454 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the three-year Roots and Horizons Heritage Project, which will explore the history of the Grade-II listed Canalside building and mark the charity's 25th anniversary.

Building Bridges in Burnley has secured funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch a three-year heritage programme. The Roots and Horizons Heritage Project will explore the history of the Grade-II listed Canalside building, which once served as a British Legion club and a Labour Exchange. The project also marks 25 years of Building Bridges' work on community cohesion and interfaith dialogue. The Canalside Community Centre was recently secured through a Community Asset Transfer and the funding will support its transformation into a hub for people of different backgrounds and faiths. Key details: - Funding: £185,454 awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a three-year programme. - Project name: Roots and Horizons Heritage Project focused on the Grade-II listed Canalside building. - Planned activities: research, archiving, oral histories, exhibitions and creative community projects. - Community involvement: the project will work with schools and community groups and plans a touring pop-up exhibition, a mural at the centre, and a digital screen to display archive material. - Staffing: the charity is recruiting a Programme Manager and a Heritage Curator to deliver the project. - Recognition: Building Bridges in Burnley received the King's Award for Voluntary Service in 2024. Summary: The funding will support a three-year programme to explore and share the centre's history and to help transform Canalside into a community hub. The charity is recruiting staff to deliver the project and plans a mixture of research, archiving and creative activities that will involve local schools and groups. The project will mark Building Bridges in Burnley's 25th anniversary and aims to preserve and share the centre's legacy for future generations. Further details and timelines for public activities were not announced.