‘Blaze Transformers’ wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

Cultural education charity, Curious Minds, is delighted to be awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Young Roots programme, for an exciting project, ‘Blaze Transformers’. This project will take place in Preston’s Harris Museum & Art Gallery and will be led by Lancashire-based arts organisation, Blaze Arts.

The project has been awarded £49,000, after a group of local young people prepared and submitted the funding application. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, it will pave the way for even more young people to have an influence and voice in the Harris’ ambitious ‘Re-imaging’ and development projects.

Over a nine-month period, young people will meet at the Harris each week to collaborate and share ideas with curators, historians, artists, digital creators and designers to develop two distinct events. These events include a cinematic light and sound installation for the facade of the building and a digital trail, which will animate and bring to life the Harris’ collections.

Commenting on the award, Derri Burdon, Chief Executive of Curious Minds said:

“We’re delighted to have won the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund for this exciting programme of work. It is important that we find creative ways for Lancashire’s young people to be able to influence how their local cultural offer is shaped, as this will help to ensure that more young people are able to experience the many educational and social benefits that engagement in the arts and culture bring to our lives.”

Sue Bowers, Deputy Director of Operations, Heritage Lottery Fund said:

“Our heritage offers a rich resource for education and it is wonderful to see it being used at the Harris by the young people of Blaze in such an innovative way. It is providing powerful and memorable experiences for the young people, making learning fun and opening their eyes to the history which surrounds them. Young people are the future custodians of our heritage so their passion for it is vital if we are to keep it from being lost forever.”

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

To arrange interviews/images/artworks or for further information on Blaze contact;

Matthew Wilde

Director, Blaze

T: +447525886987

E: matt@blazeonline.org.uk

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.

About Curious Minds

Curious Minds works to place creativity and culture at the heart of education and other services for children and young people. Working across sectors, we aim to drive equal access, continuous improvement and innovation in the field of creative and cultural education. We are proud to have been serving the North West of England as Arts Council England’s Bridge Organisation since 2012.

About Blaze Arts

Blaze Arts exists to support and develop the next generation of creative producers. We imagine a world where all young people have opportunities to develop their creativity, leadership skills and involve themselves in the decision-making process at the highest and at all levels of the arts and cultural sector.

Blaze prepares, enables and networks the next generation of creative producers to harness the potential of our fully connected world. We support young people to produce their own events, campaigns, ideas and inspire activism. Blaze has its roots as the first youth led arts festival in the UK and honours this innovative history by maintaining a board of young trustees to ensure our core principles are reflected across all levels of the organisation.