A HERITAGE grant was awarded to an organisation to celebrate the history and modern life of Hexham's east end.

Hexham’s No. 28 Community House received a grant of £9,997 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting new project called Hexham East: Our Heritage.

Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project will celebrate the history of Hexham East and capture modern life in this close-knit community. Hexham East: Our Heritage will begin in September and continue for the next year.

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Supported through the Heritage Fund, the scheme will capture stories about Hexham East through oral history, reminiscence, photos, objects and documents shared by the town's residents.

The social enterprise Digital Voice is carrying out the work through its established ‘Geostories’ programme, which brings people together to discover their shared heritage and dig deep into what shapes local lives and communities.

As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places to the natural environment.

Over the next decade, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players, to benefit people, places and the natural environment.

No.28 is a community project based in a house provided by Karbon Homes in the heart of Hexham East housing estate. Managed by Hexham Community Partnership, it began as the Hexham East Regeneration Project 15 years ago.

Since then, No.28 has established itself as a welcoming space where local people can come together to access support, share skills and experience, and gain confidence.

Staff work closely with the community to identify and break down barriers to economic and social inclusion, through activities around health and wellbeing, training and employment, and digital and financial literacy.

Grace Dunne, community development officer at No.28, said the organisation was 'thrilled' to receive the grant.

She said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will boost local pride in Hexham East and preserve this community’s unique stories and traditions.”