FMPCT awards first grants

Posted on: January 1st, 2015 by pete.melkowski No Comments

The Francis and Maisie Pryor Charitable Trust is delighted to announce the award of two grants during the inaugural round of funding, which took place in February 2014. The organisations in receipt of the grants are the Langdyke Countryside Trust and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Regular guest expert on Channel 4’s Time Team Francis Pryor, MBE, is the man who discovered the unique Bronze Age site of Flag Fen near Peterborough in 1982; he is also the founder of the FMPCT. Francis says of the Trust’s award of the grants: “The British countryside is our finest asset, the envy of the world, and these two grants are the Trust’s way of helping to ensure its survival for future generations.”

The Landyke Countryside Trust (LCT) is a community organisation dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the natural and manmade heritage in and around Peterborough and Stamford. The £500 grant has allowed the LCT to increase awareness and community involvement in the local medieval manor of Torpel Village. The grant has also allowed them to give a copy of The Story of Torpel to every pupil at John Clare Primary School at Helpston and Barnack CE Primary School. The book, written by Frieda Gosling of the LCT, details what life was like at Torpel Village during medieval times and was illustrated by pupils of two local schools.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) is a wildlife charity working to conserve the natural environment, and the grant received has been used to fund From Ice to Flight, an exciting community field walk at Whittlesea Mere taking place this autumn. The walk is part of the Great Fen Project, one of the most ambitious habitat restoration projects in Europe, the long term aim of which is to restore 3,700 hectares of fenland between Huntingdon and Peterborough. From Ice to Flight will actively involve the local community in the discovery of the ancient troves hidden at the historic Whittlesea Mere site, which date from between the last Ice Age and World War II. The project also offer local volunteers the opportunity to learn on the ground skills such as excavation, identification and historical research.

The next round of funding takes place in October 2014, with grants of up to £500 available. The FMPCT is always on the look out for new archaeological, heritage and sustainability projects within East Anglia and the East Midlands to support. If you would like to apply for a grant, you can do so by clicking on the following link:http://francisandmaisiepryorct.org.uk/application/.