The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded a total amount of £133,873 ($165,284) to a collaborative project involving the University of Gloucestershire, the Dean Heritage Centre and local volunteers and schools.
The aim of this project is to establish a literacy collection of past Forest of Dean writers, to conserve and make their work available to researchers, schools and the general public.
The material within the collection will cover more than 200 years of work, reflecting the landscape, people and places of the Forest of Dean, and will include work from the likes of Catherine Drew, Leonard Clark OBE, FW Harvey, Valerie Grosvenor Myer and Fred Boughton.
Dr Jason Griffiths, of the University of Gloucestershire, said: “We’re so thrilled to hear we’ve received this support from the Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, more people will learn about the Forest of Dean’s rich and distinctive literary heritage.
“The work of these authors is of intense local interest, but it is also part of a much wider national body of work that captures the rich texture of this country’s fascinating places and people.”
Head of Collections at the Dean Heritage Centre, Nicola Wynn, added: “This is fantastic news. I am so looking forward to working with this new collection. Alongside our existing Dennis Potter archive, this new material demonstrates the incredible depth of creative talent that has come out of the Forest of Dean over the years.
“Engaging young people with this work could create a whole new generation of Forest writers and poets.”
At the start of the month, the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported the New Directions College in Reading for its 65th anniversary, awarding it £10,000 in grants.
