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Project receives over £200,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

22nd July 2020
Posted by Aston Avery

A project which aims to tell the stories of underrepresented communities in Essex has received £207,000 in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Snapping the Stiletto project will collect the oral histories and heritage objects about the lives of working-class, BAME and LGBTQ+ women from the last 100 years.

As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Snapping the Stiletto project will also include community craft and youth engagement projects, guided heritage walks, women’s history festivals and pop-up events to collect people’s stories later in the summer.

The Snapping the Stiletto project will work with the Maldon Museum in the Park, Museum of Power, Saffron Walden Museum and Southend Museums – which is where the oral histories and heritage objects are to be displayed – as well as the University of Essex, Essex Children’s University, SHARE Museums East, Colchester Stitch & Bitch, Colchester Pride and the Essex Cultural Diversity Project.

Councillor Susan Barker, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Customer, Communities, Culture and Corporate, said:

“To receive this funding for the Snapping the Stiletto project is wonderful. It is very important that we recognise the contributions that the working-class, BAME and LGBTQ+ women have made to our county over the past 100 years.

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970, we want to ensure that these narratives are recorded and preserved for the future. We also want our local museums to be representative of our county’s residents’ experiences and local communities.”

Indi Sandhu, Creative Director from the Essex Cultural Diversity Project, stated:

“Through engagement and participation, the Snapping the Stiletto project will engage with a range of diverse people from BAME communities to LBGTQ+, including women and young people, through a range of activities such as workshops, seminars, conferences, pop up events and a festival.

“The grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is very much needed to support the thriving heritage sector in Essex.”

Image: Explore Essex