Wirksworth Heritage Centre has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for their Recreation and Renaissance project. Development funding of £120,000 has been awarded to help Wirksworth Heritage Centre (WHC) progress their plans to relocate and develop a more accessible Museum and Community Heritage Centre at a new site on St. Johns Street in Wirksworth and to employ two heritage professionals to oversee and promote the development plans.
Joining the Heritage Centre team are Jim Oribine and Lucy Godfrey. Jim has many years’ experience in the arts, heritage and tourism field, his role as Project Co-ordinator is to oversee the Heritage Lottery Fund project and ensure that the development of the site runs smoothly. Working alongside Jim will be Lucy Godfrey, a museum and heritage consultant who comes to the team from the NT Sudbury Hall. Lucy’s role is to carry out essential conservation work and run a series of events, exhibitions and workshops to enable the Wirksworth community to get involved. With an emphasis on widening the appeal to both young and old, Lucy will be actively encouraging local people to get involved in every stage of the development, from managing and handling archives and artefacts to digitising collections, from helping to create exhibitions to running group and school visits, there will be something for everyone to get involved with – no experience necessary as full training will be available for anyone interested.