South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership launches new 'Arts in Heritage' initiative

The South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership is looking for Expressions of Interest for a new pioneering creative story-telling programme, 'Arts in Heritage'.

Part of Story Tellers, the Partnership's Arts Council England NPO programme, the initiative aims to support work between local creative practitioners, heritage sites, organisations or places and people with heritage stories, traditions or research, to tell the tales from across South and East Lincolnshire in new and innovative ways. 

This initial Call Out can cover up to £1,000 to support research and development. This can be used for various costs including artist's fees and time, heritage organisation's costs and time, travel and subsistence, necessary materials and access costs. It also covers site visits, training, and fees for professional support, such as a funding bid writer or other specialised services.

To be eligible, all heritage sites, organisations or stories must be based in one of the three South and East Lincolnshire council areas, Boston Borough, East Lindsey, or South Holland, with the proposed work directly benefitting one or more of these areas. All creative practitioners must be based in the Greater Lincolnshire area.

In a joint statement Councillor Anne Dorrian, Leader of Boston Borough Council, Councillor Graham Marsh, East Lindsey District Council's representative on the NPO culture board, and Councillor Elizabeth Sneath, South Holland District Council's representative on the NPO culture board, said:

"Our sub-region has such a rich and fascinating heritage and we believe that, by bringing this together with the innovative spirit of our local artists, we can uncover and share compelling new stories and forgotten pieces of history.

"Our ambition through Story Tellers is all about celebrating our past and shaping our future through creative expression and partnership working, and we're delighted to be able to support this further through the new Arts in Heritage initiative."

To support and inspire participants Arts&Heritage have developed a wealth of support material to help inspire creative heritage programming, which can be viewed on the Resources and Practitioners page at www.story-tellers.co.uk/resources.

Anyone interested in submitting an Expression of Interest can join a complimentary online workshop on Monday 11 August from 10am until 11am. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the programme, including information on how to apply, opportunities for networking, and further inspiration. To receive the meeting link please email npo@e-lindsey.gov.uk.

To complete an Expression of Interest form to be part of Arts in Heritage, please head to Arts in Heritage — Storytellers.

Projects which are successful in the first phase will then be able to apply to access up to £4,000 to deliver a pilot project, or to work with the Story Tellers Producers to support the development of a larger bid from other funders.

There is no set time limit to apply, and applications will be reviewed monthly. However, they will be assessed on a first-come-first-served basis, with the Call Out closing once the full budget has been allocated.

Arts in Heritage is part of the Partnership's Story Tellers NPO project through funding from Arts Council England, which looks to support arts, culture, heritage and creativity across the whole of South and East Lincolnshire, providing meaningful opportunity and programming for residents, developing the sector and helping to build the local arts, culture and heritage offer. You can find out more about Story Tellers at www.story-tellers.co.uk.