First round of Mayflower 400 grants awarded

17 April 2019

With a year to go, the partnership of Southwark Council, British Land and United St Saviour’s Charity has started awarding grants to local organisations for commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing.

Rotherhithe and North Southwark has a long seafaring and ship building history and was the place where Christopher Jones, the captain and part owner of the ship, and many of the crew of the Mayflower lived.

So far, part of the £140,000 programme has gone to such diverse projects as Club Herop’s photojournalism initiative, Bermondsey Artist Group’s two year community multi-media programme, the Illuminate Rotherhithe festival, Art in the Park’s schools programme, an intergenerational theatre piece run by London Bubble and a number of local historical talks and events.

Michael Daniels, President of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Local History Society said he was delighted to be awarded a grant. He commented: "Our Local History Society organises illustrated monthly talks on fascinating subjects.  During the summer of 2020 we will stage a mini-series of talks and walks about the Mayflower here in Rotherhithe".

Naomi N Dibum, Project Manager at Club Herop said: "By receiving this grant, every young person will create a range of work that represents the learning of their peers and understand the relevance of the Mayflower narrative today and the difficulties faced by the migrants during their journey".

Cllr Rebecca Lury, Deputy Leader of Southwark Council said she was really pleased by the range and quality of the applications received so far. "We have had a very impressive list of applicants, but the good news is we still have over £60,000 in grants to award as part of stage two and three.  Therefore, I would encourage any local group, school or other interested party who have a project which is connected to the Mayflower, and use the application process on the Council’s website to apply for a grant".

Sarah Thurman, Head of Community Investments, United St Saviour’s Charity said: "We are delighted to support eight exciting community led projects that celebrate the story of the Mayflower. United St Saviour’s was 80 years young when the Mayflower set sail from Rotherhithe, eventually for the New World.  Now 400 years later, it is great to remember Southwark’s connection to the historic voyage with our partners Southwark Council and British Land".

Eleanor Wright, Head of Community At Canada Water, at British Land said: "It was fantastic to see the first round bids and see the local Mayflower 2020 programme really taking shape. Congratulations to all the successful bids and thankyou everyone who took the time to submit entries". 

Page last updated: 17 April 2019