Independent heritage attractions to benefit from £110,000 of Shared Prosperity Fund

Two independent heritage attractions will benefit from a total of £110,000 from Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s allocation of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been awarded £9,477,820 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to deliver projects which support local businesses, improve local spaces and assist residents with employment and skills.

Etruria Industrial Museum and Ford Green Hall have been given funding under the Community and Place category to develop new opportunities for communities to engage in local heritage.

Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are delighted to be offering funding to these two organisations. This funding will future proof and protect two of the city’s most important independent heritage attractions and allow for new events and community led projects to take place.”

From January 2024 the Etruria Industrial Museum and Ford Green Hall Heritage sustainability programme will support the incumbent trusts and volunteer organisations and conduct an assessment into the operation of the two sites. Through this work over the next two years, we will improve the community offer resulting in increased income and volunteering opportunities.

The programme will be delivered by a range of stakeholders including the Shirley’s Bone and Flint Mill Volunteers CIO (SBFMV), the Ford Green Hall Museum Trust (FGHMT), Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Canals & Rivers Trust, and Historic England.

The Ford Green Hall Museum Trust said: “We welcome and appreciate the opportunity to partner with the city council to ensure that Ford Green Hall retains its reputation as a popular local heritage attraction, a reputation that it has worked so hard to achieve.”