Stokesley's Heritage Project

The Stokesley Society has won Heritage Lottery Fund support.

Hugh Charman with the notification of the award from the English Heritage Lottery FundMonths of hard work have finally paid off for the Stokesley Society. They have been awarded a £13,100 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for their exciting new Stokesley's Heritage Project. This aims to encourage, stimulate and involve local people to explore and enjoy their town's heritage, with wide community participation including the Primary School and families. It will lead to publications, talks and guided walks which will further stimulate interest. The Project Launch will be at a public meeting in Stokesley Town Hall at 7.30 pm on Monday, 7 November (free entry, tea/coffee provided).

One of our listed buildings in StokesleyThe project will explore a range of topics, from how the attractive design of the town evolved to life in the narrow yards where many lived before they were cleared in the 1950s. This North Yorkshire market town has a about a thousand years of history, going back to Saxon times, with 99 buildings listed by English Heritage.

The project will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stokesley Society in 2012. The Society has done much to safeguard the town’s heritage, such as the rescuing the Mill wheel from the town mill and the restoration of an 18th century wrought iron gate. It has also helped promote interest through publications, such as Stokesley Trail, and a hardback, The Buildings of Stokesley.

Fiona Spiers, Head of HLF Yorkshire and the Humber, said “Stokesley’s Heritage project will allow local people to get involved in the town’s heritage and learn new skills in archaeology and oral history. We’re committed to funding projects that every community can take pride in and learn about their local heritage.”

Hugh Charman, the Chairman, said “We are thrilled to receive the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and believe the Project will widen interest and involvement in Stokesley’s Heritage so that it is valued and safeguarded for future generations“. The Society has a membership of a 140 households, who together with the hard working members of the committee, can feel proud to know they are contributing each in their own way to keeping the life and times of Stokesley alive.

Using money raised through the National Lottery, since 1994 the Heritage Lottery Fund has not only revitalised hundreds of museums, parks, historic buildings, landscapes and wildlife sites, but has also given new meaning to heritage itself. People from every walk of life are now involved with the heritage that inspires them, making choices about what they want to keep and share from the past, for future generations. HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects, allocating over £4.7billion across the UK, including £364m to 2,729 projects across the Yorkshire and the Humber region alone. To see their website, please click here.