Spodden Valley Revealed awarded £246,500 National Lottery grant

Healey Dell Viaduct

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

A grant of £246,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for Spodden Valley Revealed (SVR), has been confirmed.

Thanks to money, a major new Mid Pennine Arts (MPA) heritage and cultural project will create a trail of discovery exploring the long and unique history of human settlement in the area around Whitworth.

The many stories Spodden Valley Revealed will explore include stone age hunting sites and the relics left behind, 19th century hero James ‘Treacle’ Sanderson running close to the four-minute mile 90 years before Roger Bannister, and the Whitworth Doctors – 18th century ‘bone setters’ attracting patients from all over the UK like the Archbishop of Canterbury with curious and strange treatments.

Spodden Valley Revealed will be made up of a ‘string of pearls’ of eleven historic sites. Visitors will discover these through signposting from a central cycling and walking route, new interpretation and public art, and a programme of community events.

The project will add rich historic content to Lancashire County Council’s ongoing strategic programme of cycleways for East Lancashire.

Creating Spodden Valley Revealed over two years will involve an entire community.

Activities and learning will engage schools, volunteers and residents of all ages. The project will offer skills training for volunteers and boost employability for young people.

MPA Creative Director Nick Hunt said: “We are absolutely thrilled that the National Lottery has recognised the huge potential of this project. Many local partners, led by Whitworth Town Council, have helped shape these ideas, and we can’t wait to get back to work with them all. Making it all happen will be a two-year adventure for hundreds of people. What it puts in place can be a real community asset for many years to come.”

For Whitworth Town Council, the Mayor, Councillor Alan Neal, said: “We are really excited to be involved with Spodden Valley Revealed in Whitworth and can’t wait to get all the local schools and groups involved in creating something which will benefit the whole community. It will be a great asset for promoting tourism in Whitworth and will provide valuable new leisure facilities for local people.”

Support for Spodden Valley Revealed is also coming from the Lancashire Environmental Fund and from charity Newground Together.

Their awards of £25,000 and £35,000 respectively will make possible specific aspects of the programme of access enhancements and environmental improvements, and have been important also in helping to secure the funding from HLF.

The project will also receive support from Lancashire County Council, Whitworth Town Council and other contributors.

The overall project, including a year of development and consultation work now complete, will generate £445,886 of investment into the communities around Whitworth.