national lottery support for ‘a flawed peace?' project to mark the first world war centenary

The Peace Museum has received a National Lottery grant of £4900 for a project, A Flawed Peace?, at the museum in Bradford City Centre. Awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund's First World War then and now programme, and made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to explore the post-war peace after the First World War. The grant will fund an exhibition which will feature a 1919 copy of the Treaty of Versailles, the peace treaty signed after the war, that belonged to a Bradford politician.  The exhibition will open at The Peace Museum on Thursday 1^st November and run until Friday 28^th June 2019, which will mark 100 years since the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

The project will also enable local Bradford children and young people to get involved and learn about this important First World War peace heritage. New Focus, a group of young people from Impressions Gallery, Bradford, will help research the project and assist in creating the exhibition. There will be fifteen free school workshops offered to local Bradford primary and secondary schools as part of the project, which will engage over 450 pupils with the exhibition and give them an opportunity to learn about the heritage. A travelling exhibition will also be created which will be used in schools and can be used by community groups as an educational tool during and after the project.

A series of events will run throughout the exhibition which the local Bradford community will be encouraged to attend. An opening event will take place on Thursday 1^st November at the museum, followed by a special opening of the museum to mark Remembrance Day on Sunday 11^th November. Further events will be announced.

Shannen Lang, Learning and Engagement Officer at The Peace Museum said "We are delighted to receive this support thanks to National Lottery Players. The heritage of the post-war peace is so important and must be remembered; the war may have ended on November 11^th, but the peace process took much longer, and the world took even longer to recover. We are excited to use our First World War collection and welcome the local community to get involved with the exhibition".

David Renwick, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. Thanks to National Lottery players, HLF has already invested more than £90million to more than 1,700 projects - large and small - that are marking this global Centenary; with our small grants programme, we are enabling even more communities like those involved in ‘A Flawed Peace' to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local people to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world."

Further details about the project and events will be announced in the autumn.

# # #

For further information, images and interviews please contact Shannen Lang on 01274 780241 or email at Shannen.lang@peacemuseum.org.uk.

Notes to the editor:

The Peace Museum

The Peace Museum occupies three small, unique galleries in one of Bradford's many fine Victorian buildings. It is the only accredited museum of its kind in the UK and is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace. The Peace Museum tells the stories of those who have campaigned for peace and end to conflict and violence, locally, nationally and internationally, through a 7000 item collection. The Museum is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10 am till 4 pm. Other times may be possible with prior arrangement. www.peacemuseum.org.uk

The Heritage Lottery fund and support for First World War Heritage

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery and #HLFsupported.

To date, almost £100million in HLF grants has been awarded to projects across the UK so they can mark the Centenary and explore all aspects of First World War heritage that matters to them. Through its First World War: then and now programme, HLF is making at least £1million available per year for six years until 2019. It is providing grants between £3,000 and £10,000 enabling communities and groups right across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict. To find out how to apply for funding visit www.hlf.org.uk/thenandnow If a group needs a grant of more than £10,000 for a First World War project, it can apply to HLF through its open programmes www.hlf.org.uk/firstworldwar

To join the conversation on social media please use #understandingww1