The new Torbay local heritage grant scheme is now live
Our ambition is to improve quality of life in Torbay (Brixham, Paignton and Torquay) through the development of culture and heritage. Thanks to investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we can make a step forward with this programme of work which will support increased public participation in local heritage.
We want to support local people and improve access and engagement with Torbay’s heritage. The Heritage Fund’s investment will resource a Torbay Local Heritage Grant Scheme to run through until late 2025. The Heritage Fund’s support will also enable advice and support for local grant recipients, and evaluation.
Our new local heritage grant scheme complements our ambition to celebrate and increase engagement for residents and visitors with our UNESCO Global Geopark designation. Local organisations, groups and societies will be able to apply to the Scheme.
The new grant scheme will provide the momentum for more engagement with the different designations around the bay (i.e. in addition to the overarching theme of our UNESCO designation, such as scheduled monuments, listed buildings); and allow smaller scale partners to access support that they otherwise could not consider (for example developing activity or resources that support intangible heritage or untold stories).
Aims and outcomes:
Applicants to the Scheme will be asked to respond to the aim and explain how they will meet the two outcomes (see below) with their proposal for funding. They can use any of the Torbay Heritage Strategy themes as a structure if this helps.
The aim of grant scheme is: to improve access and participation in Torbay’s heritage and raise awareness of, and celebrate, our UNESCO Global Geopark designation.
Proposals are asked to meet the following two outcomes which will be scored equally:
Support:
A Heritage Grants Advisor is in place to offer pre-application advice to potential applicants; and once grants are awarded, they will act as an informal advisor/critical friend if needed. To contact the advisor, please email [email protected] (please allow 3 working days for a response).
Evaluation contractors will evaluate the programme as a whole and ask applicants for information so the experience can be shared, and people learn from each other.
An important part of the new scheme is to ensure decisions are made in Torbay, and to do this we have set up a Heritage Grants Decision Panel.
All details are given through the link to the application form and guidance notes.
Torbay’s local heritage grants scheme is a collaboration between Torbay Council, Torbay Culture, and the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. It is made possible thanks to investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Image: Aerial view of the parterre at Oldway, from the film Heritage Gardens on the English Riviera, commissioned by Torbay Culture (K Marshall / A Bluglass, 2022)
