24th March 2006
At Ashton Court, just outside Bristol, the Heritage Lottery Fund has today (March 24th) announced the results of its second annual Heritage Heroes competition, which celebrates the work of volunteers in HLF-funded projects across the South West.
(Heritage Heroes)
In the presence of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bristol, Paymaster General Dawn Primarolo M.P. and TV historian Tristram Hunt, representatives of the region’s best volunteer-led heritage projects gathered to hear who would win the coveted Heritage Heroes crystal trophies.
Last year’s event, which took place at Powderham Castle in Devon, was the first of its kind in the UK. This year there was a shortlist of twenty projects in five different categories - Built Heritage, Wildlife, Memories, Museums and Archives, and Children and Young People.
Adrian Tinniswood, Chairman of HLF’s South West Regional Committee, who also chaired the distinguished panel of Heritage Heroes Judges, said “Choosing this year’s winners was incredibly difficult. Every one of the projects on the shortlist deserved a prize, and each one showed how important volunteers are in the struggle to secure our heritage.
“After long, hard discussions we decided that this year’s winners were Nothe Fort in the Built Heritage category, Bedminster Green Renaissance Project in the Wldlife section, in the Museums and Archives section Saving and Preservation of Opie’s Cornish Masterpiece in Falmouth, Youth Promoting Heritage in Crewkerne won the Children and Young People’s category and the winner of the Memories category and the overall winner of Heritage Heroes 2006 was the Capturing Memories: Building for the Future in Bristol.
The Heritage Heroes shortlist was:-
BUILT HERITAGE – Shirehampton Public Hall Clock in Bristol; Temple Guiting Decalogue project in Cheltenham; Nothe Fort in Weymouth and Steep Holm Barracks Visitor Centre in Weston-super-Mare.
WINNER: NOTHE FORT IN WEYMOUTH
WILDLIFE - Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre in Dorset; Bedminster Green Renaissance Project in Bristol; River Avon Interpretation Trail at Long Ashton in Bristol; The Ford Park project in Plymouth.
WINNER: BEDMINSTER GREEN RENAISSANCE PROJECT IN BRISTOL
MEMORIES – Preparing for D Day at Trebah Gardens in Falmouth; Marazion and District Reminiscence Project in Hayle; Cornish Braids: Exploring cultural identity through oral history in Penryn; Capturing Memories: Building for the Future in Bristol.
WINNER OF CATEGORY & OVERALL WINNER: CAPTURING MEMORIES: BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE IN BRISTOL
MUSEUMS AND ARCHIVES –Saving and preservation of Opie’s Cornish Masterpiece in Falmouth; Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum at St Austell; Cookworthy Access at Kingsbridge; Market Lavington Village Museums Project in Devizes.
WINNER: SAVING AND PRESERVATION OF OPIE’S CORNISH MASTERPIECE IN FALMOUTH
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – Theatre through the Ages in Cheltenham; Youth Promoting Heritage in Crewkerne; SURF UK throughout the South West Region; Children’s Heritage Trail in Ivybridge.
WINNER: YOUTH PROMOTING HERITAGE IN CREWKERNE