The trustees of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation are celebrating today after receiving a grant of £99,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their ‘Arundells – Fit for the Future’ project.
Thanks to National Lottery players, the project will bring to life the history of this historic home through community activities and making the collection more accessible. A new ‘Community Garden’ will also being created to provide the perfect quiet space for the local community.
The home of former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, Arundells has a fascinating historyand beautiful gardens that stretch down to the River Avon. The diverse collection includes his paintings, ceramics, photographs, cartoons, sailing and musical memorabilia.
The project aims to introduce a much wider range of people to Arundells’ heritage by trialling new activities and events, allowing everyone to discover what a special place it is and all that it has to offer the local community. From teaching and enrichment activities for a range of local schools (and across differing age groups) to musical workshops, activities for the less able, and those with additional needs.
The creation of a ‘Community Garden’ at Arundells – working closely with local people – lies at the heart of the project and will provide a quiet and reflective space to learn more about gardening, wildlife and habitat.
Through this project the team at Arundells – including the many volunteers who play such a key role in opening the house to visitors – will build links to new audiences, strengthen existing relationships, and explore how the collection can be made more accessible for research, teaching, and the enjoyment of all.
Ivan Smith, the Manager of Arundells, said: “This is a tremendously exciting opportunity to reflect upon what we do well, to identify new opportunities, to proactively develop long lasting partnerships with a range of local groups, implement change and to develop wide ranging new activities with schools and local community groups. It is fabulous that the Heritage Fund recognises that Arundells has so much to offer, and we sincerely thank them for supporting our endeavours.Upon completion of the project, Arundells will be well and truly ‘Fit for the Future’.”
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.
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Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.