We are thrilled to announce we have been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £9900 for an exciting heritage project, Osney Lock Hydro: Unlocking The Power of Our River. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project supports a series of community based arts projects that celebrate the links between the local history of energy generation in West Oxford, and the local and global environment.
Supported through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project kicks off this summer with a river inspired ‘Midsummer Meander – a river themed arts trail across West Oxford. People from across the community are invited to join in and help celebrate our centuries old connection with the river. You can sign up to participate here
Part of the trail will feature art works created by local school children, which will be displayed at Osney Lock Hydro.
The arts project is being delivered in partnership with local charity Low Carbon West Oxford.
Mim Saxl, Lead Programme Manager at Low Carbon West Oxford said “The project will give local people the chance to learn about the ecology of our river. Our local streams and river are home to a whole host of species of fish, as well as otters, kingfishers, herons and more. We are really looking forward to working with the local community to discover its hidden depths!”
The second phase of the project will be taking inspiration from these native species to create a human sundial featuring local plants and animals. This will be installed at Osney Lock Hydro in the summer of 2020.
We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As we face the growing threat of climate change, the project gives us the opportunity to explore the interconnectedness between our industrial and natural heritage. The hydro shows that it is possible to harness the power of nature, in a way that can also enhance the ecology around us.
