Preston Caribbean Carnival is happy to announce a £37,500 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to record, archive and share images and stories of carnival in Preston and secure it for the future generations.
Founded in 1974 by local Prestonians with origins in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and other Caribbean islands, Preston Carnival gained momentum as an annual event from participants in the 1972 Preston Guild Community procession with a desire to create an annual cultural celebration featuring both a processional and park based cultural event for both Preston residents and for visitors to the city.
Preston’s Caribbean Carnival celebrated 50 years in 2024 and is the longest running event in Preston bar the Preston Guild which happens once every 20 years. Carnival is the last remaining carnivals in Lancashire and the North West and without this funding from the Heritage Fund its stories would remain unheard.
This project will enable the carnival exhibition to be displayed until June 2025 at Lancashire Archives, Bow Lane, Preston and then to be archived saving the heritage.
Volunteers, local groups and schools will be able to take part in the project through events and training opportunities at the Archives, allowing even more people to enjoy and play a part in the carnival heritage.
In the long-term, the project will preserve images of large piece costumes and stories from its founders and descendants and strengthen the heritage of the event.
Preston Caribbean Carnival will be running events throughout the project and during the exhibition until June 2025. Check out the Archives website for opening times: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-record-office/visit-us/opening-times-and-your-visit/
Tracey Harris from Preston Caribbean Carnival said:
“We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players work on strengthening heritage across all cultures”.
About Preston Caribbean Carnival
Our mission:
“To promote the appreciation and understanding of Caribbean culture by and for, diverse communities of Preston, Lancashire and the UK”. Following our celebration year in 2024, we want to preserve images and stories of our 50year journey for future generations.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Tracey Harris at Preston Caribbean Carnival on 01772 349583 during office hours.
Leave A Comment