‘Silverdale Our Story’ project secures funding from Heritage Lottery Fund

A community storytelling project at Silverdale Country Park has been granted £57,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

‘Silverdale Our Story’ is being led by Groundwork West Midlands, who look after the site in partnership with the Land Trust, and will run for 13 months, bringing together volunteers, former miners, school children, local residents, the parish council, university students and many more.

The project will encourage and support people to tell a story they feel best represents the past of the area, particularly the old colliery site that the village was built around and is now Silverdale Country Park.

Stories will be displayed online and through an interpretation trail at the park, helping people understand the context in which they now live, work and visit. Ongoing conservation and habitat improvement work will also be linked into the project.

Find out more about the project as featured on BBC West Midlands Today.

Silverdale Colliery in Newcastle-under-Lyme opened in the 1830s and was in operation until 1998. At its height it employed 860 men.

Groundwork Operations Manager Stephen Cook said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund for this project.

“The local community and users of the country park have been wanting us to showcase more of the heritage of the site for years so this is now a great opportunity for us to help the village of Silverdale tell its own story and display it for all to see.”