Accrington and Brierfield charity to benefit from £1.2m fund

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, based at the Northlight development in Brierfield, has been named as one of the beneficiaries.

Lancashire Women, which has centres in Accrington, Blackpool, Blackburn and Burnley, is also set to benefit.

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection at Northlight House in Brierfield (Image: Gawthorpe Textiles Collection)

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection received £48,127 and the money will be used to digitise and archive the Rachel Kay Shuttleworth textile collections.

Rachel was the last member of the Shuttleworth family member to live at Gawthorpe Hall and built up an eclectic collection of textiles over her lifetime.

Linda Drury, director of the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the 2024 benefactors of the Scottish Power Foundation.

“The funding will enable us to deliver a digitally focussed research and archiving project involving the Rachel Kay Shuttleworth papers.

“It will involve the creation of a series of digital stories about pieces within the collection, detailing why Rachel collected them, who donated them and what their historical significance is.

“The stories will go on our website and on digital display in Gawthorpe Hall, the home where Rachel grew up and first found her love of textiles,” added Linda.

“As part of the project, we will be running a series of outreach activities and recruiting new volunteers to join the team.

“Rachel Kay Shuttleworth was driven by a desire to bring the world of textiles to the community so that people can learn from, and enjoy intricate, beautiful pieces from around the world.

“The Scottish Power fund will go a long way in keeping her legacy alive for future generations and we can’t wait to get started on the project.”

Lancashire Women is set to use the funding to create a home repair service for vulnerable women across the region.

The project seeks to create well-paid, flexible jobs for women, all whilst promoting gender equality in what is a traditionally male-dominated sector.

By helping women to improve their own homes, the project aims to achieve the overarching social issues related to poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and inadequate housing.

 A further 18 charities across Scotland, England and Wales have been awarded funding, totalling almost £1.2 million, for projects committed to tackling issues from cost-of-living support and raising aspirations for the next generation to protect the environment and celebrating cultural diversity.

Melanie Hill, executive officer and trustee at the Scottish Power Foundation, said: “It is always a challenge to narrow down the number of applications, but we sincerely believe we have selected a group of incredible organisations that we are thrilled to be in partnership with over the next year.

"We can’t wait to see what they all achieve.”

With more than £13 million given out to charitable initiatives across Britain over the past 11 years, including more than 230 grants, the Scottish Power Foundation is continuing to support a range of worthy causes, ranging from helping the next generation into STEM careers and reducing isolation among older people to helping enhance the biodiversity of our habitats.