Lottery funding for Barns Green project to mark start of First World War

two researchers (Merve Goddard and Mary Hallett) at the War Memorial in Itchingfield church Barns Green WW1 commemmoration project gets Lottery funding (submitted).

Barns Green Community Publications has been granted £9,500 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), to support a venture entitled ‘Barns Green - A Local History of The Great War’.

The project will involve residents gathering photographs, newspapers and keepsakes, which reflect the impact the conflict had on the Barns Green community.

Material collected will be used to create exhibitions, school information packs and a comprehensive local history and commemorative book, all aimed at preserving the village’s history.

An online interactive archive will also be produced so that everyone can access and contribute information.

The money was awarded through HLF’s ‘First World War: then and now’ programme, which provides communities with grants of between £3,000 to £10,000, to mark the centenary of the start of the conflict.

Merve Goddard, a researcher on the project, said: “ We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund for this exciting local history project.

“The impact of the events of the Great War had profound, lasting and, sometimes , surprising effects, which have not been fully documented before, and this project aims to help the current community understand how their village was affected by the war.”

“We also aim to create a comprehensive memorial to the men from the community who gave their lives.”

Stuart McLeod, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East, added: “The impact of the First World War was far-reaching- touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond.

“HLF has already invested more than £57 million in projects- large and small- that are marking this global centenary.”

He continued: “With our new small grants programme, we are enabling even more communities, like those involved in ‘Barns Green - A Local History of The Great War’, to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict, and help local people to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”

Barns Green Community Publications’ usual work involves publishing a monthly magazine, named BIG Mag, which is delivered free of charge to all houses in Barns Green, Itchingfield, and Christ’s Hospital.

The organisation also maintains the village website (www.barnsgreen.com), which publishes information about the community, acting as a hub for village groups and clubs.