Swaffham High Street awarded funds for cultural programme
Swaffham Town Council is delighted to have been awarded a £36,000 grant from Historic England as part of the Swaffham High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) to create and deliver community-led cultural activities on the high street over the next year.
Swaffham HSHAZ is one of more than 60 high streets to receive a share of £6 million for their cultural programme.
Over the next year, the cultural programme activities will centre around the life and work of Howard Carter, the son of Swaffham who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb a century ago.
Activities will include an interactive drama production celebrating the work of Howard Carter, created by Year nine pupils and children from Swaffham primary schools, and performed within the HSHAZ area.
A mosaic of a pyramid will be created to commemorate Howard Carter’s work in Egypt and primary school children will carry out their own archaeological dig. Another highlight will be a Festival weekend in September.
More information on all events and activities will be announced through the year.
The programme will be designed and delivered by the Swaffham Cultural Consortium with ongoing support from Swaffham Town Council and the Swaffham HSHAZ team at Breckland District Council.
This is part of the four-year-long High Street Heritage Action Zone’s Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Cultural Programme aims to make our high streets more attractive, engaging and vibrant places for people to live, work and spend time
Tony Calladine, regional director for Historic England in the East of England said: "The high street cultural programme is a step change in the way we think about bringing high streets back from the brink.
"As we start to see these important historic spaces become regenerated through building work, it is the community-led cultural work that helps people to enjoy their high street again and also have a say in what the future of their high street might be.”
Judy Anscombe, mayor of Swaffham said: "Swaffham Town Council are pleased to receive this grant from Historic England and look forward to working with Swaffham Cultural Consortium and its partners in delivering this exciting programme.
"The generous support from Historic England will allow us to engage with the many organisations and our growing community in a Cultural Programme which will commence with events in 2022 to celebrate the centenary of Howard Carter on discovering Tutankhamun’s tomb.
"From the many activities and events planned, the Cultural Programme’s legacy will be to gain new skills and friendships across all age groups and to highlight the heritage of the Market Place as a tourist base."
For further information please contact: swaffhamheritage@outlook.com
