FOLLOWING on from the success of the recent Warrington Walking Day Reborn event, the council has confirmed National Lottery Heritage Funding, supporting a special heritage project, will continue the revitalisation of the event.
Despite some local opposition, the council now says Saturday, 4 July, marked an exciting new beginning for Walking Day, with an event led by the churches and organisations that have supported it for generations.
While a local family organised their own traditional walk on the Friday, they also turned up to support the heritage event the following day.
The event was a celebration of Warrington’s heritage, and included musical performances from local church groups, alongside a family funfair and a knitted display of bible stories provided by The Salvation Army in Warrington Town Hall.
Now, the council has confirmed £76.8k from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, that will be used to support a year-long project aimed at collecting, recording and celebrating memories, testimonies and future ambitions for Walking Day.
The heritage project will be led by the council, with support from Culture Warrington, churches and communities, and will:
• Celebrate Warrington Walking Day’s heritage through a launch event, memory collection, and a culminating exhibition showcasing stories, objects and community contributions
• Recruit and train volunteers to support the long-term sustainability of Walking Day, by providing the structure needed to sustain and grow the event
• Work with young people, and widen participation through Youth Heritage Volunteers, a Young Curators programme, partnerships with schools and colleges, and inclusive involvement from community and faith groups
• Create lasting heritage resources, professionally archive materials and strengthen Warrington Museum and Art Gallery’s collections
• Support the Warrington Walking Day Reborn Group with planning for future Walking Days
While the Heritage Fund grant can’t be used to fund costs of the Walking Day event itself, the memories and stories collected throughout the project will play an important role in helping to shape how Walking days take place in the future.
Warrington Borough Council deputy leader and cabinet member for communities, culture and leisure, Cllr Jean Flaherty, said: “I’m thankful to Warrington’s many faith organisations that helped make our ‘Walking Day Reborn’ event a success. Our communities came together in support of a special and historic event that I hope will provide the launchpad for preserving Walking Day.
“While our current financial position means that the council had to make the difficult choice to stop funding Walking Day, by working hand-in-hand with our communities and faith groups, this year’s event has been a real success, and it was heartening to see our residents come along to support and enjoy the event.
“I believe the future is bright for Warrington Walking Day. We will use the secured National Lottery Heritage Funding to recognise and celebrate this event that is so special to us, while continuing to support our communities and faith groups to develop a sustainable future model for Walking Day.”
Steph Clemens, Museum Development Manager at Culture Warrington, said: “Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and Archive were delighted to attend Walking Day Reborn and to have so many fascinating conversations about what Walking Day means to our community. Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund project, we’ll be able to reconnect with many of the people we met and record their memories as part of a permanent, accessible Walking Day archive.
“By capturing these stories, we can build a richer understanding of the significance of Walking Day, explore how it has evolved over the years, and help ensure this important heritage tradition continues to thrive 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.
