Support available to Northern Ireland groups to commemorate World War One in 2018

The UK-wide Big Ideas ‘Remember Together’ programme is calling for groups across Northern Ireland to run events commemorating stories from the First World War. This initiative aims to encourage communities to look at their local area to find and share the First World War stories that speak to them.

Small-scale funding, up to £100, is available for Remembrance activities in the lead up to the Centenary of Armistice this November. Groups are not required to be formally constituted, making the opportunity open to collectives of at least eight people.

Free resources are available along with access to databases which catalogue burial sites of First World War service personnel across Northern Ireland.

Applications are being accepted until Monday, November 26, 2018, from those who wish to discover and remember First World War through creative responses to one of the following Remember Together programmes:

Trailblazers: World War One’s Inspirational Women

Celebrate the lives of inspirational women from the First World War and identify contemporary trailblazing women in your community. Request our free resource pack featuring the stories of 20 inspirational women – suffragettes, writers, doctors, botanists, soldiers, footballers and munitions workers - from the First World War. Feature ‘Trailblazers’ in your community, through an exhibition, performance, talk or other creative approach.

The Unremembered: World War One’s Army of Workers

The Unremembered project commemorates the Labour Corps, who came from across the Commonwealth and beyond. Many died, yet today their contribution and sacrifice is rarely acknowledged. Groups can organise commemorative activities such as making a wreath or using The Unremembered database to find local Labour Corps graves and discover little-known local heritage. The Unremembered map is also available for groups to learn about the history of the different Labour Corps from across the world.

Motherhood, Loss & the First World War

This project acknowledges the universality of bereavement as the defining experience of the First World War, with a special focus on the impact on mothers – an overlooked aspect of grief from the period. Bring members of your community together through activities such as reading letters between First World War mothers and sons, visiting graves and memorials, researching local stories, creative writing or a visual art piece.

Tull100 — Football Remembers

Tull100 celebrates and commemorates Walter Tull, one of Britain’s first black professional footballers and the first person of black heritage to become an officer in the regular British Army. Schools and community groups can earn medals by discovering Walter Tull’s story, remembering him with activities such as football matches or letter writing, and by taking action to make their community more inclusive with a ‘No Barriers’ discussion.

Remember RAF100

Remember RAF100 marks the formation of the RAF and commemorates air service personnel who lost their lives in World War One. Our resources provide primary schools with poems, lesson plans, and a step-by-step guide to making your own plane and a poetry book to illustrate, along with a poster demonstrating how to discover local RAF WWI graves.

You can find out more about the Remember Together programme by visiting big-ideas.org.