Funding available for Southampton’s community groups to explore heritage stories as part of Mayflower 400

A total of £60,000 will be available through combined funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Southampton City Council.

Southampton City Council announces a new funding scheme to enable local groups and communities to get involved in Mayflower 400. A total of £60,000 will be available through combined funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Southampton City Council.

Southampton City Council is leading a city-wide partnership to mark the Mayflower 400 anniversary. The programme was launched in early March 2020, with 1,000 school and college pupils taking part in A Musical Odyssey, at The Mayflower Theatre, led by the Southampton Music Hub. In light of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, events are currently on hold as the Council and partners reshape what Mayflower 400 will look like going forward. But like national partners, Southampton is still hopeful that some elements will be able to go-ahead in autumn or spring next year.

These grants are to encourage Southampton residents to explore heritage stories through community activity – this could be anything from a quilt that tells the story of a community’s journey to Southampton, a digital project capturing memories of your community, a series of talks about people who are important to your community, or an online exhibition about the history of a faith building and its congregation.

Councillor Satvir Kaur, Cabinet Member for Homes and Communities, said: "This pandemic had had a huge impact on all our lives. With families and loved ones feeling isolated from one another, culture is key to bringing communities together and uniting us as we heal from this together. While our Mayflower 400 programme has had to evolve, we remain committed to it being meaningful to everyone, providing opportunities for all our communities to get involved. So it is great to be working with The National Lottery Heritage Fund on this new funding programme, to help make this happen. Southampton is a vibrant and diverse city with a strong cultural heritage and our aim is to encourage people from all ages and backgrounds to join in the Mayflower year in Southampton, not just as audiences but as participants, and leading their own projects. Now is the time to develop ideas, plan a project and start making an application; our Mayflower 400 team is here to help, let's get creative!”

Stuart McLeod, Director London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “An internationally significant time in history with many local stories and legacies to share, Mayflower 400 offers an incredible moment to explore the heritage of Southampton and beyond. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we are delighted to support this programme.”

Applications are invited for grants between £1,000 - £3,000 for projects which take place between August and December 2020. In particular, all-being well, the council is keen to support activities for Heritage Open Days in September. The scheme is open for applications between 7 May 2020 and 4 August 2020.

Communities and groups can find more information about the scheme and how to apply on our grants and funding pages or by emailing grants@southampton.gov.uk

Support will be available on the phone or by Skype for communities interested in planning a project and making an application. Later in the year, it will hopefully be possible to run workshops to support community applicants, subject to the COVID-19 guidance at the time.