Lottery funding leaves Bristol community groups walking on air

Centenary celebrations for the Bristol Aircraft Corporation are set for take-off with the help of a £10,000 Awards for All grant. It is one of six grants in Bristol and 69 in the South West totalling £459,386 in the latest round of awards.

Filton Community History will use the award to piece together a detailed oral history in celebration of its 100^th anniversary. With interviews from countless locals and former aviation workers it is hoped the activity will provide a lasting memory of the times for future generations. The once-sleepy village of Filton played a central role in the First World War and also became home to some of the world’s most famous aeroplanes. From September the group will spend eight months recording memories and gathering images that will form part of a wide-ranging exhibition marking the BAC’s 100th anniversary in 2010.

Jane Tozer, Secretary, said: “The story of the aviation factory at Filton is a fascinating one. Filton was a farming village with a population of 400 when Bristol entrepreneur Sir George White arrived on the scene and converted a tram shed into a place to manufacture planes. It was a huge part of the World War One effort and became the biggest aero-production unit in the world at the time. In the 1950s the ill-fated Brabazon – a giant airliner – was developed there. It was ahead of its time with futuristic technology but America built something similar and it became redundant. Filton was also the home of supersonic passenger aircraft Concorde, which was masterminded in the 1970s.

“Simple historical records can’t tell you what an era smelt, tasted or felt like and that’s why oral histories of this kind are so important. With this funding we will record people’s living recollections and anecdotes about the BAC and preserve them for posterity.”

Also snapping up a Lottery grant in this round of awards is Keynsham Photographic Society, which receives £3,038 to help safeguard its future with the purchase of digital equipment. The society has been established for 40 years but wants to modernise to help attract new members.
Linda Horne, Secretary, said: “We want to keep up with modern technology because there’s been an explosion in photography as the whole world goes digital, especially younger people. We also want our current members to benefit and be able to develop skills in that area. It can be a really big learning curve even for people who are exceptionally knowledgeable in traditional print or slide photography. The new equipment will also help us to connect with other community groups such as local history and women’s groups.”

Other projects receiving funding are Pak - Bristolians Cricket Club, who get £4,502 to run an eight week coaching programme, Integrate, who will spend £9,715 on story telling and filmmaking sessions for young people from ethnic minorities, Atrial Fibrillation Association receive £9,420 to produce information on the condition, and Grounds4Change Limited have been awarded £9,310 to provide interactive and educational activities for young people.

Awards for All is the small grants scheme administered by the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of Lottery good cause funders, Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England. The scheme makes awards of between £300 and £10,000 to grass-roots community groups and voluntary organisations.

Mark Cotton, Big Lottery Fund Head of the South West region, said on behalf of Awards for All: “Filton is brimming with aviation history and it’s fantastic that stories, anecdotes and practices from the past will be preserved by the efforts of Filton Community History for generations to come. It was one of 69 fantastic schemes in the South West region sharing in £459,386 worth of Lottery funding.”

For a full list of award recipients visit: http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/england/news.html