WHALE Arts celebrates Heritage Lottery Fund grant

WHALE Arts has received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Stories, Stones and Bones grant, it was announced today. This exciting project, ‘Wester Hailes: Your Story, Our Story’, will use the £9,100 grant to connect community members of all ages with their roots, explore local history and the intersection between art and heritage. This project is part of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

WHALE Arts is a community-led charity that provides access to the arts for people of all ages in Wester Hailes and across South West Edinburgh. WHALE Arts facilitates projects and events to involve those traditionally excluded from the arts in their purpose built centre. Participants will explore themes of identity, migration, place and belonging through workshops with local historians and heritage partners from Edinburgh’s museums and archives. An artist commission informed by participants’ stories will be produced for the enjoyment and engagement of the community and an exhibition of WHALE Arts archival material will celebrate the complex and fascinating history of Wester Hailes.

Commenting on the award, Meghan Bidwell, WHALE Arts, said:

We are delighted to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund Stories, Stones and Bones grant. Our project will link the community of Wester Hailes with creative opportunities to discover individual heritage and provide a framework for interpreting South West Edinburgh’s contemporary cultural landscape. This project will be a celebration of the stories of local people and the history of WHALE Arts, which turns 25 this year.

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