Meet the latest AIM Biffa Award History Makers

AIM is pleased to announce the latest round of grants awarded by the AIM Biffa Award History Makers programme. Work is already underway on these exciting new exhibitions, telling the stories of remarkable people from all walks of life spanning more than 350 years of history.

AIM Biffa Award, part of the Landfill Communities Fund, gives grants to museums, galleries and cultural facilities so that they can tell the stories of some of our lesser known historical figures through the History Makers Scheme. Round 4 applications were made in Autumn 2019 with the successful projects notified in Spring 2020. As the museum sector begins to reopen post-Covid-19, it is expected that the new History Makers exhibitions will open in early 2021.

Football’s first female superstar

Opening in Spring 2021, the National Football Museum in Manchester will tell the story of Lily Parr, football’s first female superstar. Starting her career at hometown team St Helens Ladies, Parr moved on to Dick, Kerr Ladies FC and later Preston Ladies. Operating as an outside left winger, it’s believed she scored more than 980 goals in a 32-year career.

Read more about this project here. 

When Arkwright met Strutt; Creating a cotton spinning legacy

The Arkwright Society at Cromford Mills will explore the story of Jedediah Strutt and Sir Richard Arkwright, who between them built the world’s first successful water powered cotton spinning mill at Cromford, creating the modern factory system and marking the start of the Industrial Revolution. A new CGI experience inside the first mill will bring these characters to life and reveal more about the challenges they faced and their huge impact on society at the time. 

John Milton – History Maker

From August 2021, visitors to Milton’s Cottage will be able to take an augmented reality (AR) journey through John Milton’s only surviving residence. Imagine being surrounded by a world of demons, talking snakes and other characters from Paradise Lost, which he completed at Milton’s Cottage. Or seeing the ghost of the blind poet himself describing his perilous journey to escape the Great Plague and completing his greatest poem. AR interaction will enable a new generation to discover the impact of Milton’s writing on our politics, society, literature and even the language we speak.

Revealing Gilbert White

The team at Gilbert White’s House in Hampshire will work with young people to re-design the Gilbert White displays that promote and explain Gilbert’s significant contribution to our understanding of the environment and climate change. Involving young people in the decision-making process will inspire them to make their own journeys of discovery in the natural world, observing, recording or campaigning for nature, just like Gilbert himself.

At Home with the Pankhurst Family will open at the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester in 2021, with more details set to be revealed later this year.

Round 5 applications for the AIM Biffa Award History Makers programme will open in October. Information will be shared on the AIM website here, via Twitter and the fortnightly eNews. Follow us on Twitter here and sign up for eNews here to be hear about Round 5 as soon as the details are released.

Please note, applications are open to AIM members only, but you can Join AIM here.