The council is excited to announce our plans for our Cultural Impact Award, part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture programme. The groundbreaking programme will be co-created with local young people, culminating in three, spectacular, free public events for residents and visitors to enjoy in 2026 and 2027. Alongside this, the borough’s archives and museum collection will be digitalised and catalogued, making them more accessible for local people to explore their heritage.
Creative Programme Partner, Tramshed, will work with local young people to co-produce three public events. As part of this, the council and local cultural organisations will provide training and work experience to inspire and support them on their pathway towards careers in culture and heritage.
As Heritage Service Partner, Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust will digitalise our archives and catalogue our museum collection to make them more accessible, whilst the council and the Trust continue to look for a new permanent home for them.
These activities will be funded by a Cultural Impact Award, part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture programme, with additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the council. They will be delivered in collaboration with Tramshed, as Creative Programme Partner and the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT), as Heritage Service Partner.
Councillor Sandra Bauer, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities, said: “Our Cultural Impact Award programme will be co-produced by local young people for our communities, empowering them to tell the stories of their heritage through three spectacular free events.
“As part of this exciting process, our young creators will get once in a lifetime training and work experience opportunities to support them in reaching their full potential. We’ll also be reviewing our heritage services, widening access to our archives and museum collection.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor of London, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Tramshed and Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust. I can’t wait for our residents to enjoy what’s to come!”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “Young people in Greenwich are in the driving seat, creating three spectacular events for local residents to enjoy for free. Organising these events will be a fantastic experience and is a great example of how the Mayor’s Cultural Impact Awards bring local residents, partners and community groups together, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re proud to support the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Cultural Impact Award programme, which places young people at the heart of celebrating and shaping their local heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players, this initiative will unlock new opportunities to connect with the heritage across the borough and ensure that Greenwich’s rich history is shared for generations to come.”
Bethan Tomlinson, Interim Director, Tramshed Arts Ltd, said: “Tramshed has facilitated cultural opportunities with and for young people for 55 years in the heart of Woolwich. Internationally renowned professionals such as DéObia Oparéi, Bernardine Evaristo and Gary Oldman have been part of our programmes in the past - we can’t wait to see and hear more from this generation and cultural icons of the future”
Janet Denne, CEO, Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust, said: “The Trust is delighted to be part of this project, to undertake further cataloguing and digitalisation of our Collection and Archive so that the community can have increased access to these wonderful items, and to work with young people of the borough to understand their heritage more.”
If you are a local arts, culture or heritage organisation or community group and would like to stay up to date or get involved, contact culture@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
We look forward to announcing further details soon. To be the first to receive updates on events near you, sign up to the council’s email newsletter, and follow us on WhatsApp.
Cultural Impact Awards are a Mayor of London initiative.
The Royal Borough of Greenwich was awarded one of three Cultural Impact Awards to deliver transformative creative projects within their communities in 2026.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities. heritagefund.org.uk Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund