Sharing Heritage: Broadmayne WW2 Society celebrates £10,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant

 

Broadmayne WW2 Society is to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage1 grant, it was announced today. Their exciting project, ‘Broadmayne 1944: The Days Before D-Day’, in Broadmayne, Dorset has been awarded £10,000 to explore the role the village played as marshaling camp D5, for American troops during the build up to the D-Day landings. The project coincides with the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Normandy campaign in June 2014.

 

Broadmayne WW2 Society is a village-based group of history enthusiasts committed to uncovering, detailing and preserving information and artifacts related to the role the area played during the Second World War. With the support of HLF, this ambitious project has been designed to draw in stakeholders from across the community and engage them in a number of events planned for this summer.

 

The first product of the project will be a short 6-minute documentary looking at the history of Camp D5 in 1944. Produced by Broadmayne-based production company Bright Button Productions, it will explore how the camp impacted upon daily life in the quiet Dorset village of Broadmayne and contextualize how the troops stationed here formed part of the bigger picture - the Normandy landings.

 

The centerpiece of the project will be a weekend long event to be held in the village of Broadmayne across Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June 2014. With the help of a long list of groups from across the local community, the clocks will be turned back to 1944 and the village shall, once again, become a D-Day marshaling camp. Working with living history groups and military vehicle owners to create a living set, there will also be a full programme of activities including a 1940s Church Fete, history talks and vintage cinema evening.

 

There will also be a 1940s Dance Night featuring a full bill of entertainment including the Moonlight Swing Band, as well as singer Jayne Darling and George Formby tribute act, Paul Casper. The whole event is free and open to all and will be both fun and educational. Bright Button Productions will produce a second short, documentary film as a permanent record of the event.

 

The final element of the project will be the design of a heritage trail around the village, highlighting key points of interest to the WW2 story. The trail will be published as a four-page booklet and will include illustrations from renowned local artist, Peter Lightfoot. The trail will live beyond the weekend events and be freely available to residents and visitors to the village for years to come.

 

Commenting on the award Broadmayne WW2 Society Chairman, Stephen George, said, “Broadmayne and the surrounding area played a vital, if little known, part in the period leading up to the Normandy landings. We want to share the important role played by troop camps such as D5 in the build up to D-Day. We’re very excited about this programme of events and thrilled to have secured support from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help realize our ambitions of properly marking this very important anniversary.In addition to the two short films, heritage trail and 1940s weekend in the village, we’re very hopeful that the full experience will be a catalyst to bring the whole community together in such a way that the links forged will extend far beyond this summer.”

 

Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said, “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that Broadmayne 1944: The Days Before D-Day can embark on a real journey of discovery. Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.

 

ENDS

 

Notes to Editors

 

About Broadmayne WW2 Society

Broadmayne WW2 Society is a village-based group of history enthusiasts committed to uncovering, detailing and preserving information and artifacts related to the role the area played during the Second World War.

 

1Sharing Heritage

Sharing Heritage is for any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. With a commitment from the HLF of £3m each year, Sharing Heritage grants between £3,000 and £10,000 are now available to groups who want to discover their local heritage. Projects can cover a wide spectrum of subject matter from exploring local archaeology and a community’s cultures and traditions of identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment to managing and training volunteers, holding festivals and events to commemorate the past.

 

Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost 36,000 projects with £5.9bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk. Images available on request.

 

For further information, images and interviews, please contact:

 

Stephen George, Chairman at Broadmayne WW2 Society on broadmayneww2soc@gmail.com

 

Freya Eden-Ellis, Producer at Bright Button Productions on freya@brightbuttonproductions.com