• A older woman and a young man looking at pieces of china

Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT) has been awarded £249,910 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in the third round of funding through the Heritage Innovation Fund to continue the development of its volunteering programme. 

During the first two phases of the Heritage Innovation Fund, which were funded to the tune of £25,000 and £75,000 respectively, HCT explored the challenge of attracting volunteers post COVID-19 and how it could build on and expand its existing volunteer programme. HCT is one of just thirteen organisations in the UK to have progressed through and been successful with funding for all three stages of the Heritage Innovation Fund, which was established to support organisations in the heritage sector tackle common workforce challenges.

In this phase, which will last two years and kick off in early 2025, HCT will look at innovative ways that it can address challenges to allow it to grow its volunteer workforce, making it more sustainable and further improving the volunteering experience. HCT’s three key objectives are: the continued development of more flexible volunteering roles and opportunities, for example, for those people who also work; the diversification of its volunteer base, with a particular emphasis on attracting more young people; helping those who want to enter or get back into employment develop their skillset through volunteering or apprenticeships.

Anne Horn, HCT’s Director of People, commented: “We have an absolutely fantastic team of talented, passionate and dedicated volunteers at Hampshire Cultural Trust, who support our work in so many ways. But we recognise that there is so much more that we can offer to people who want to volunteer with us, and thanks to National Lottery players and the Heritage Innovation Fund, we will now be able to develop more roles that fit round people’s working lives and help people grow those key skills they need to get into work.

“A particular area of focus for us is increasing the number of young people who volunteer, offering more flexible roles that respond to what young people need. In addition, we run many targeted social impact programmes, and we want to explore and develop ways of progressing participants who come to us through these programmes, maintaining our relationship with them through volunteering and ultimately providing clearer routes to support them into employment by offering apprenticeships.”

George Stanley-Jones, Head of Partnerships and Innovation from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Volunteers are a crucial part of the heritage workforce and play a key role in connecting heritage organisations to communities. We are delighted to support this fantastic project through the Grow Phase of our Heritage Innovation Fund.”

Members of HCT’s team will also continue to participate in the Young Foundation’s Learning Programme, benefitting from masterclasses and peer learning groups, as well as maintaining and extending collaboration with Heritage Innovation Fund cohort organisations and across the sector, where project learnings will be shared.

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