Plymouth theatre project nominated for major award
An art event commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, supported by the Theatre Royal Plymouth, is in line for a prestigious accolade after reaching the finals of the National Lottery Awards.
‘We’re here because we’re here,’ commissioned by 14-18 NOW and created by Jeremy Deller, is competing against six others in the Best Heritage Project category. They beat off stiff competition from over 1,300 organisations – a record number of entries - to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards – the annual search for the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.
The project with the most votes will be crowned the winner and receive a £5,000 cash prize to spend on their project, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded glittering Awards ceremony to be broadcast on BBC One in September.
On Friday 1 July 2016, people across the UK were stopped in their tracks by the ‘ghosts’ of over 1,400 soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, exactly 100 years earlier. Volunteers dressed in historically accurate uniforms appeared unexpectedly at public locations like beaches, train stations and shopping centres from 7am to 7pm, creating a unique modern memorial to mark this tragic event, organised in secret by 25 theatres including Plymouth’s Theatre Royal.
Jenny Waldman from 14-18 NOW said: “We are delighted ‘We’re here because we’re here’ has been nominated for a National Lottery Award.
“Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, and created by Jeremy Deller with Rufus Norris, the extraordinary art performance saw the appearance of over 1,400 ‘ghosts’ of soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of Somme appear in locations across the UK on the 100th anniversary of the battle. This unique memorial on the centenary of this tragic event brought heritage, visual arts and theatre to a mass audience.
“We really hope the public continue to support this project by voting for us as the UK’s best heritage project in the National Lottery Awards.”
Jackie O’Sullivan, from the National Lottery Awards added: “National Lottery players raise £30 million every single week for Good Causes across the UK and the work done with that money is truly life-changing.
“The National Lottery Awards celebrate the talent and dedication of the amazing staff and volunteers who run these incredible National Lottery funded projects for the benefit of their communities.
“We’re here because we’re here has worked very hard to become a finalist and they now need your support. So get voting!”
To vote for We’re here because we’re here, please go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards or telephone 0844 836 9704 and follow the campaign on twitter: hashtag #NLAwards. Voting runs for four weeks from 9am on 29 June until midnight on 27 July.
There are seven projects competing for votes across seven categories, reflecting the main areas of National Lottery funding: arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity.
