A PROJECT that aims to help Reading people learn more about the history and future of wind and water power has been awarded nearly £200,000 to help its work.
The Mills Archive Trust has been awarded the grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a new project, Reading emPOWERed.
The project will focus on preserving and sharing the history of the two renewable energy sources, drawing on existing records of milling heritage and encouraging the creation of new archival material and contributions.
The project will take two years, and see the Trust work alongside schools, entrepreneurs, academics, arts and cultural groups.
Members of the public will be able to give their input too, having a say in which parts of the archive should be explored in more detail, and sharing related activities that they feel should be recorded for future generations.
The £198,751 grant is money raised by players of the National Lottery.
Mills Trust director Elizabeth Bartram was delighted with the £198,751 grant.
“This project, made possible by the support of National Lottery players, has come at the right time,” she said. “We are all feeling the pinch with fuel costs rising and more of us are aware of the reality of climate change and its implications.
“We are committed to showing how the past connects with the present and future, through highlighting the role of wind and water power, its advocates over the years, and the efforts of generations past to deal with issues that we all continue to face today.
“The town of Reading and its surrounding area has its own important part in this story, which we will share with local people and raise Reading’s profile on the national and international stage.”
The Mills Trust launched in 2002, and is based in Reading.
For more details, log on to: new.millsarchive.org
