About the grant and the project...

The Raphael Samuel History Centre has been awarded a £27,000 grant to host 'Past Caring: A Celebration of Love in History'. This week long festival of events, timed to coincide with Valentine's Day 2010, brought together a diverse group of 11 heritage, history, and HE partners to deliver a series of walks, workshops, talks, and exhibitions.

For the events of the week click here

Birkbeck’s Dr Matt Cook, co-director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre said:

"From walks exploring Bloomsbury's romantic past to workshops on Valentine cards and love letters of old, this festival will take place in some of London's leading museums, archives and historic houses. The primary aim is to encourage new and existing audiences and to engage in our past in imaginative ways."

Partners involved include the National Maritime Museum, London Transport Museum, Weiner Library, Freud Museum and the London Metropolitan Archive. Matt added: "This project will also promote awareness of the innovative adult learning work undertaken at each institution, and give participants the opportunity to find out how to progress into more formal learning. We intend this project to be the beginning of a long partnership with further history festivals on different themes and other collaborative events."

The grant is one of 213 awarded from the £20 million Transformation Fund, launched by the Government to offer funding for innovative informal adult learning projects in England. More than 1,400 applications for funding were received.