A Nutkhut performance company led event at Marble Hill House

Community Connections Grants

We’re working with the National Lottery Heritage fund to distribute £150,000 worth of funding to connect communities with heritage in the North of England. Find out how you can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support exciting projects at some of the free to visit sites in our care.

A group from Gosport Voluntary Action pose in front of their pop-up.

About the grants

Community Connections is a grant programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We want to fund projects that will help people connect with free-to-visit sites in our care. The programme is focused on sites in Tyne and Wear, north Cumbria, and the north of Northumberland. We are most interested in projects about wellbeing, heritage skills, or nature.

We can fund many types of projects, as long as they meet the Community Connections criteria and the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s investment principles.

Eligible Sites

There'll be one round of funding for each region in the programe. Here's a list of the funding rounds and eligible English Heritage sites in each region.

Round 1 - Tyne and Wear

• Benwell Roman Temple, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Benwell Vellum Crossing, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Bessie Surtees House, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Denton Hall Turret, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Denton Hall Turret, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Derwentcote Steel Furnace, Hamsterly

• Heddon-on-the-Wall, Heddon

• Hylton Castle, Sunderland

• Prudhoe Castle, Prudhoe

• St Paul's Monastery, Jarrow
Round 2 - North Cumbria and Hadrian's Wall

• Banks East Turret, Brampton

• Countess Pillar, Brougham

• Harrows Scar Milecastle and Wall, Brampton

• Hare Hill, Brampton

• King Arthur's Round Table, Eamont Bridge

• Leahill Turret, Brampton

• Maybugh Henge, Eamont Bridge

• Penrith Castle, Penrith

• Pike Hill signal Tower, Brampton

• Piper Sike Turret, Brampton

• Poltross Burn Milecastle, Gilsland

• Willowford Roman Bridge, Gilsland
Round 3 - North Northumberland

• Berwick-upon-Tweed Castle, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Berwick-upon-Tweed Ramparts, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Berwick Bell Tower, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Lord's Mount, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Magazine, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Norham Castle, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Etal Castle, Etal

How to apply

How much you can apply for

You can apply for grants from £250 to £5,000. There are two levels of grant. Those applying for the higher amounts will have to provide a little more detail in their application form.

The levels are:
• £250-£999
• £1,000 - £5,000

Application criteria

All applications must:

have been discussed in advance with the Community Connections team.
evidence how they meet the Community Connections criteria.
evidence how they reflect the National Lottery Heritage Fund Investment Principles.
provide detailed information about the events and activities they will deliver.
identify which eligible site or sites your project will focus on.

Who can apply

Grants will only be given to organisations with a constitution, a bank account and externally audited accounts.

If you're an individual or a non-constituted group, you'll need to partner with a constituted organisation to apply for the grant and manage the project. If you're not sure what a constituted organisation is, or you want to explore the idea of applying as a partnership, please let us know when you get in touch.

When to apply
The grants will be available in three rounds, with one round for each region. Applications will open on the following dates:

Funding Round Applications open Applications close
Round 1 - Tyne & Wear: Applications open 26 Mar 2025 and close 25 June 2025
Round 2 - North Cumbria: Applications open 1 June 2025 and close 31 Aug 2025
Round 3 - North Northumberland: Applications open 1 Sept 2025 and close 30 Nov 2025

It could take up to four weeks from the closing date for us to consider your application and get back to you, so please factor this into your project timescales.

What's On

Find a Community Connections event near you, made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and in partnership with a range of fantastic organisations.

Ruins and Reverence: A Queer Gaze on the Roman Past

Location: Benwell Roman Temple and Benwell Vallum Crossing

In partnership with Harbour Printworks

A creative workshop series for young queer people that explores queer narratives in ancient Roman History. The project will include site visits and history talks and result in the participants working in collaboration on a zine based on their learning and on-site experiences.
The Romans Were Here

Location: Benwell Roman Temple, Benwell Vallum Crossing, Denton Hall Turret and Heddon-on-the-Wall

In partnership with St James’ Heritage and Environment Group

A 12-week programme of heritage activities based around an exploration of Hadrian’s Wall in the West End of Newcastle. The varied activity programme will engage participants with the West End’s Roman History through site visits, workshops, archaeology, reenactments, food-based learning, open days at local libraries for information drop ins, publications, miniature and model building with children and countless more funded and volunteer-led events.
Scotswood Garden Wellbeing in Nature

Location: Benwell Roman Temple and Benwell Vallum Crossing

In partnership with Scotswood Garden

An 11-week project inviting participants from areas of high economic deprivation to explore site-based Roman History in Benwell. On and off-site creative responses will inform a collaborative ‘wellbeing temple’ at Scotswood Garden which will include creating prayer flags, mosaics, clay pots, etc.
NDC Canvas: Weaving Past into Our Future

Location: Bessie Surtees House, Hylton Castle, Prudhoe Castle and St Paul’s Monastery, Jarrow

In partnership with Newcastle Deaf Centre

Creative summer programme built around site visits with young people who will be encouraged to respond to sites through a variety of mediums. Individual visits will inspire the creation of art, poetry and songs. Their work will culminate in an exhibition at Prudhoe Castle and will also be displayed in-house at the Newcastle Deaf Centre.
Old Stories, New Songs with Howay the Lasses

Location: Bessie Surtees House

In partnership with Semibreve CIC

A songwriting project at Bessie Surtees House in collaboration with Howay the Lasses. The group will work with participants and volunteers to transform the history of the site into an original song, culminating in an on-site public performance.
Access: Bessie Surtees House

Location: Bessie Surtees House

In partnership with Speaking Up Together

An accessible heritage project at Bessie Surtees House led by people with learning disabilities to create interactive interpretation and hold site-based workshops driven by the desire to make the site more inclusive for all.
Cultural Canvas

Location: Bessie Surtees House

In partnership with Bridgewater School

A cross curricular heritage programme engaging primary pupils of Bridgewater School with Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Victorian history through site visits, workshops led by an artist and hands-on craft activities, resulting in a final exhibition.
Opening the furnace

Location: Derwentcote Steel Furnace

In partnership with Northern Print

A printmaking project where Northern Print studio-users will create new work inspired by the industrial and cultural heritage of Derwentcote Stell Furnace. This project will result in an open exhibition, on- and off-site, and an online showcase.
Her Mark: Women Making History Then and Now

Location: Hylton Castle

In partnership with Pink-Collar Gallery

A series of feminist workshops at Hylton Castle drawing from the castle’s heritage to explore and celebrate the overlooked contributions of Medieval women. The project will comprise of heritage craft activities, storytelling and working in collaboration on an illuminated manuscript.
Circus in the Castle

Location: Prudhoe Castle

In partnership with Newcastle Circus Arts

A month-long project working in collaboration with young circus performers and costume designers to prepare for a circus-based event day at Prudhoe castle with events for families, aerial rigs and a site-specific promenade performance.
Promoting Prudhoe Castle and the Surrounding Area

Location: Prudhoe Castle

In partnership with Prudhoe Community Hub

A community marketing project at Prudhoe Castle to establish new walking trails involving the site, expand existing publications highlighting the castle as an important visitor destination and creating new leaflets for Prudhoe Castle, explaining its history and significance.
Flying the (new) Flag at Prudhoe Castle

Location: Prudhoe Castle

In partnership with Arts and Heritage CIO

A volunteer-led artist commission to redesign a flag for Prudhoe castle. The project responds to the lack of opportunity for commissioning experience to upskill volunteers who will be involved in all aspects of this process. The resulting legacy will be a permanent, branded flag for the castle, created in collaboration with the local community.
Connecting Community Through Craft, Heritage and Inclusion

Location: St Paul’s Monastery, Jarrow

In partnership with Cornerstone Benwell

A cross-community heritage activity programme for older adults and those experiencing isolation or dementia. Site visits will inform hands-on cultural activities, Anglo-Saxon crafts and traditional skills, led by an artist.