Nene Valley community projects can apply for a share of £9k grant pot

Community groups which are based in towns and villages along the Nene Valley have been invited to apply for grants from a £9k fund.
Ali Brand-Barker from Nenescape  hands over new trails to Elaine WakerleyAli Brand-Barker from Nenescape  hands over new trails to Elaine Wakerley
Ali Brand-Barker from Nenescape hands over new trails to Elaine Wakerley

Nenescape Landscape Partnership is open for applications to a new round of small grant funding.

Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, three grants of up to £1,000 and two grants of £3,000 will be awarded in December or January to community organisations for projects that celebrate the heritage and nature of the Nene Valley.

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Recipients of previous grants include the Rushden Historical Transport Society, who built a ramp to improve access into their goods shed, and Irthlingborough Archaeological Society who used their grant to conduct a geophysical survey of an Iron Age and Roman site in the Nene Wetlands.

Rushden Historical Societys accessible rampRushden Historical Societys accessible ramp
Rushden Historical Societys accessible ramp

The National Leather Collection in Northampton were awarded a grant for their archive.

Vikki Green, curator at the collection, said: “Having this grant has meant that we can work through our archive with a fantastic team of volunteers and get it organised.

“We’ve seen so many interesting documents and photos, many of which help tell the story of leather in Northampton and the Nene Valley.

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“We’re a small organisation so the funding really helped us make a big impact with sorting our archives.”

Archiving at the National Leather Collection (Museum of Leathercraft) in NorthamptonArchiving at the National Leather Collection (Museum of Leathercraft) in Northampton
Archiving at the National Leather Collection (Museum of Leathercraft) in Northampton

Amanda Johnson, project manager for Nenescape Landscape Partnership, said: “This is a lovely opportunity for small groups, particularly those led by volunteers, to access National Lottery Heritage Fund grant money to celebrate the nature and history of the Nene Valley.

“Without National Lottery players, we wouldn’t be able to do this, so huge thanks go to them.”

The big decision of who the grants go to is made by a panel of volunteers who meet and score applications according to set criteria, and all applicants receive constructive feedback.

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Grants of up to £1,000 are for ‘Listening to the Landscape’ projects, which focus on the natural heritage of the Nene Valley, the species and habitats that make the landscape unique and distinctive - applications for this round must be in before 4pm on Monday, December 2.

Projects that make heritage in the Nene Valley more available to the public called ‘Stories of the Nene’ can apply for grants of up to £3,000 - the deadline for applications is Monday, January 6 2020.

For specific information about the community grants, contact [email protected] or go to https://nenescape.org/news.

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