The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant of £27,400 to the project ‘Bristol’s Green Roots’, it was announced today. This will allow The Schumacher Centre to document and preserve Bristol’s environmental history so that the city’s action and involvement in sustainability issues are not lost.
Bristol has gained an enviable reputation for its dedication to the environmental cause – in 2008 it was the only UK city to be shortlisted for the EU Green Capital Award. The Green Roots project will concentrate on Bristol’s journey from a city that gained wealth from what we now see as social injustices to a city that is a hub for social and environmental justice. This will be achieved through research and work with Bristol’s environmental organisations and a series of community workshops to create a comprehensive archive and several exhibitions throughout the city as well as publications to inform a wide audience.

This year-long project aims to encourage Bristol’s population to become more involved in conserving their ‘green heritage’ as well as building on and developing the city’s dedication to environmental issues. The material collected by the project will be stored as an archive with Bristol’s Museums and Archives but on display in the new MShed Industrial Museum and at the CREATE Centre.

Commenting on the award Ian Roderick, Director of The Schumacher Centre, said ‘We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund are willing to fund this work, which will set contemporary actions in an historic perspective. The value will come from seeing that the city is on a coherent pathway to a sustainable future - and that will be made visible to the thousands of visitors to the city.’

Explaining the importance of the award, Nerys Watts, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Head of Region for the South West said: “Nowadays the protection of our natural environment and the responsible use of our available resources is more important than ever, but the history of the various organisations and movements who are working to raise awareness of these issues has been little explored. That is why we are very pleased to be able to support the ‘Bristol’s Green Roots’ Project, which will help to capture this important part of our heritage and open it up for everyone to explore and be inspired by”

For further information, please contact Emmelie Brownlee on emmelie@schumacherinstitute.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after, and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history HLF opens up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since 1994 it has supported more than 25,000 projects, allocating over £4 billion across the UK www.hlf.org.uk .