Making Our Mark
Celebrating Walsall’s unique heritage stories.
Discover and share your community’s heritage.
Making Our Mark celebrates the rich and diverse heritage of Walsall’s communities. Led by Creative Black Country and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project will give local groups and organisations the opportunity to uncover and share their untold heritage stories. Whether it’s exploring cultural traditions, historical events, or community memories, we’re here to help you bring your stories to life!
NEW COMMISSION OPPORTUNITY
We wish to work with a Walsall-based heritage, community, or creative organisation to undertake a new commission exploring Walsall's shared heritage, though we welcome applications from the wider Black Country. This commission is part of the Making Our Mark project, which celebrates the rich and diverse heritage of Walsall's communities. Led by Creative Black Country and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Urban Hax/Maker Fest, with thanks to National Lottery players.
We are seeking an organisation to explore the concept of shared heritage in Walsall, examining the places, activities and experiences that bring our community together. This project should celebrate what connects us – it could be the historic canals, the world-famous market, our cherished green spaces, including parks, the Arboretum, Barr Beacon, and allotments. It could be exploring Walsall's unique shops - both past and present, discovering local landmarks - both well-known and hidden, or celebrating our sports, recreation, music and food.
What do we mean by Heritage?
Cultural traditions – exploring the history & identity of different communities through things like dance, theatre, food, clothing or language. This could be anything that’s passed down or brings people together.
Nature – protecting local wildlife and green spaces, or helping people feel more connected to the natural world around them.
Oral histories – collecting and sharing people’s stories, songs and memories to help others understand the past and how things have changed.
Commemorations and celebrations – marking important moments in time or telling the stories of people and places that matter to a community.
Project Requirements & Key Dates
The successful organisation must engage 500 people across Walsall through a series of workshops, exhibitions, events, talks and sharing sessions. The project must produce an online or digital outcome that can be shared offline and online under Creative Commons Licence 4.0. (Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons)
Participation in Walsall Maker Fest (September 13-14, 2025) is required, which could involve making workshops, oral history interviews, or sharing photographs, memories and objects. These activities should directly link to the project and contribute to the final outcomes.
The project must be fully completed by Monday, 10th November 2025, in time for being shared at Urban Hax's winter event at Walsall Council House on the 29th November 2025.
Investment
The total fee is £8,000 inclusive of VAT, covering the organisation's time, research and development, resources, materials, and all project outcomes.
Application Process:
Proposal submission deadline: Monday 14th July 12.00pm (this is a hard deadline and no submissions will be accepted after this).
All applications will be assessed by an independent panel. The successful applicant will be notified by 25th July 2025.
How to apply
To apply, please send:
• A written proposal (max. 2 pages)
or
• A video or audio proposal (max. 8 minutes)
Your proposal needs to cover the following:
Who you are and your relevant experience
Your idea
Who you would work with (artists, creatives, and participants)
How you would reach and engage your participants
What the benefits of your project are for Walsall and the community heritage
Timeline for delivery, with key milestones for activity
What steps you will take to make your project as accessible and as environmentally responsible as possible
Budget breakdown
All applicants also need to complete our Equal Opportunities monitoring form and send this in with their application.
Download the Equal Opportunities monitoring form HERE.
Please send your proposal & monitoring form no later than Monday 14th July at 12.00pm to: mom@creativeblackcountry.co.uk
Application Support
If you have any questions or you need further support prior to submitting your application, please drop an email to our Heritage Adviser: rayna@creativeblackcountry.co.uk
An accessible version of the equal opportunities monitoring form is available below. If you require further access support please get in touch.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. 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.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Making Our Mark is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support communities based in Walsall to celebrate their rich and diverse heritage.
