Getting Started

What is a Heritage Project?

A heritage project is any activity that helps to record, share, or celebrate the history, traditions, and culture of a community, place, or theme. It could involve collecting oral histories, digitising photographs, researching a local story, or creating an exhibition. On the People’s Collection Wales, heritage projects do the following:

• Capture and preserve local memories, skills, and experiences
• Strengthen community identity and intergenerational connections
• Share Wales’s diverse heritage with wider audiences
• Encourage learning, creativity, and collaboration

In short: a heritage project brings people together to explore and celebrate what matters to them, creating lasting resources for the future.

Where do I start?

Before beginning your project, take time to plan. Think about:

• Purpose – What story do you want to tell, and why is it important?
• People – Who will be involved or affected? Will you need volunteers, partners, or permissions?
• Materials – What sources, collections, or memories will you use?
• Outcomes – What will you produce (for example, an online collection, booklet, film, or exhibition)?

A clear plan helps you stay focused and ensures that your work can be completed, shared, and preserved effectively.

How can we help?

The People’s Collection Wales offers comprehensive guidance and tools to help you at every stage of your heritage project. We can support you to:

• Develop a project plan and timeline
• Train volunteers in collecting and cataloguing materials
• Understand copyright, consent, and data protection
• Upload, describe, and share your materials online

Our training focuses on the two most common types of heritage projects — Digitisation and Oral History — which form the foundation of much archival work. Explore the links below to learn more about each area:

Working with Local Partners

Partnering with a local heritage organisation — such as a library, museum, or archive — can add real value to your project. These organisations often have:

• Expertise in collections care, cataloguing, and digitisation
• Access to historical materials or research resources that may support your work
• Facilities for public exhibitions, community engagement, or storage
• Experience in funding applications, project planning, and volunteer management

Building partnerships helps ensure your work meets professional standards and can be preserved for the long term. It also strengthens local networks and raises the profile of your project within the wider heritage community.

If you’re unsure where to start, contact your local museum, county archive, or library service — they are often keen to collaborate with community-led heritage initiatives.

Funding Your Project

Many heritage projects are supported through grants, donations, or community fundraising. If you need financial help to get started, you might consider applying to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which supports projects that celebrate, explore, or protect heritage in communities across Wales.

When budgeting for your project, remember to include:

• Translation costs – ensure your materials are accessible in both Welsh and English
• Equipment costs – such as scanners, cameras, microphones, or storage devices
• Volunteer expenses – including travel or refreshments

A realistic budget helps demonstrate that your project is well-planned and sustainable. For advice on preparing funding applications or developing project budgets, contact us — we can guide you towards appropriate resources and partners.

The People’s Collection Wales offers free support to organisations, community groups and individuals to help them collect and publish material which tells the Story of Wales. For further information or guidance, please feel free to get in touch.