The Chinese Welfare Association (NI) receives grant of [add amount] from the Shared 

History Fund to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland 

  • 39 projects have been awarded a grant through the Shared History Fund 
  • The Shared History Fund is a £1million fund which The National Lottery
  • Heritage Fund is distributing on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland.
    CWA has been awarded £79,000 through the Shared History Fund. 

The Shared History Fund, which The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office, will support groups in marking the Centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021 in a thoughtful, inclusive and engaging way. 


The fund received high levels of interest and following a competitive application and assessment process, 39 projects across Northern Ireland were awarded grants, including the Chinese Welfare Association.

The funding will help us to run an education and engagement project aimed at involving Black and ethnic minority (BEM) communities and organisations in Northern Ireland’s Centenary. 

It will rise awareness of history, help BEM communities navigate the often confusing and contentious issues offering an impartial informed approach which will allow them to understand and better engage in community, social, political and other spheres. 

This ‘Know Norn Iron’ project will produce educational and informative resource packs, conference with historians commentators to set the context and discuss the issues, and multi-lingual publications. 

This will be developed in a second phase explaining NI in the wider context of ‘Partition’ as a solution. Here we would share personal experiences, academic understanding and legacy issues with other Partitioned regions, and their communities.Then as a positive counterbalance we would consider how immigration has shaped Northern Ireland. 

Finally a showcase: ‘The I in NI’ giving BEM, and others an opportunity to reflect on their experience of and attitude to NI. NI can be seen in terms of a ‘fusion’ of cultures, languages and traditions, playing on the positive and peaceful interaction and acceptance of difference. With an online platform which will add the ‘I to NI’ and promote the programme. 


“We are extremely grateful to the Northern Ireland Office and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing this funding. Thanks to this grant, we will be able to engage and educate BME groups and help them get more involved and integrated into local communities and civic society. We feel this is the best way to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland.” 


In awarding grants, The National Lottery Heritage Fund prioritised those organisations which best demonstrated how they were inclusive of different audiences and interpretations of the past, in line with the Principles for Remembering. 


These are a set of principles which The National Lottery Heritage Fund developed in partnership with the Community Relations Council in 2011, to help groups navigate difficult history and to ensure the stories told throughout the Decade of Centenaries were thoughtful and inclusive of a range of perspectives. 


The projects funded are diverse and cover a wide range of subjects and key moments in Northern Ireland’s history, from discovering untold stories of our past, to the development of different communities to our hopes for the Northern Ireland of the future. 

Mukesh Sharma, Chair, Northern Ireland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: 

“As a leading funder of heritage throughout the UK, we understand the central role that heritage plays in people’s lives and their communities. We also recognise that there are aspects of heritage that can be challenging. 

“However, our experience in supporting partners to navigate difficult periods in our history throughout the Decade of Centenaries demonstrates that there is a way to engage with difficult heritage in a positive way. No one narrative is more important than another, and it’s important we create a space that allows a range of stories to be told. 

“We’re delighted to be delivering this funding on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office and have supported projects which will not only mark the Centenary but will show how we can engage with difficult heritage going forward.” 

ENDS 

Notes to editors
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund 

The National Heritage Memorial Fund, which also operates as The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is delivering the Shared History Fund on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office. 

The Shared History Fund uses funds provided by the UK Government, and is not National Lottery funding. 

Outside of this fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund uses money raised by the National Lottery, inspiring, leading and resourcing the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. 

Follow @HeritageFundUK and @HeritageFundNI on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund 

www.HeritageFund.org.uk.