Funding To Bands Available For The Unremembered

Small grant funding & accompanying resources are available to brass bands and other community groups for First World War project, The Unremembered

The project marks the centenary of the Labour Corps in WWI. It is publicly funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government and led by Big Ideas Company.

The Labour Corps came from across the globe, from countries such as South Africa, China, India, Egypt, Canada, the Caribbean and elsewhere as well as the UK. They were the workers who supplied the front lines with food and resources. Many came from marginalised backgrounds and their contribution to the First World War is often overlooked.

The Unremembered project is a campaign across the year to raise awareness of this forgotten story and to involve schools and communities in remembering them.

The Big Ideas Company have put together a free resource pack for community groups and schools which provides historical information and ideas for local activities to learn more about the Labour Corps, their links to local heritage and ways in which to commemorate them. One way groups are being asked to get involved, for example, is by performing Labour Corps songs.

An example from the project launch, which brought together local choirs and schools with the South African Diaspora UK group, can be found at: https://vimeo.com/206310189

In addition to the resource packs available UK wide, small-scale funding is also now available to community groups throughout England which can be applied for via email from [email protected]

Though this funding is strictly restricted to groups in England at present, if sufficient demand for applicants outside England is received then the project may have a case to apply for wider resourcing.

For further information and to access the UK wide free resource pack, a database of Labour Corps locations in the UK, other resources, or to register your interest in UK wide project funding, visit http://www.bigideascompany.org/project/the-unremembered