Past Futures – A People’s History of the Isle of Wight

Thanks to strong community interest, we’re supporting 19 projects that shine a light on the Island’s rich history. Past Futures, the Isle of Wight’s people’s heritage fund, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, provides vital investment to celebrate, archive, and share the everyday stories and unique traditions that shape the Isle of Wight.

The first round which closed October 2025, 6 applicants were successfully awarded:

Bembridge Fort Trust,
Discover More (Flame Keepers),
Lake Parish Council,
Lemon Jelly Press,
Stitch Department,
The Earth Museum

6 months later, the second round has more than doubled the number of projects supported by the programme.

Brading Roman Villa,
Carisbrooke Castle Museum,
Classic Boat Centre Trust (Classic Boat Museum),
Nature Therapy CIC,
Riboleau Community Studios and Gardens CIC,
Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society,
Sight for Wight
The Common Space,
The New Carnival Company,
The 4Ps Vectis Radio Training School, Time Nor Tide Players CIC,
Ventnor Enhancement Fund,
Wight Aviation Museum

These awardees will receive a combined total of over £165,000 to bring vibrant local histories to life, ensuring that the Island’s community-led heritage is preserved and accessible for everyone, now and in the future.

Gavin Stride, Director of Creative Island expresses:

“This is a further reminder of the depth and variety of extraordinary stories that make up the Isle of Wight. It has been a real privilege to work with people from every part of the Island on helping them share their stories, and we’re grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the trust and support that they’ve shown us in making this happen.”

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We’re thrilled to announce that we’re developing a Digital Archive for Past Futures, a space where these uncovered stories can be accessible. More information will come soon, so stay tuned via this page and be kept up to date via our social media for updates.

For those who were awarded, we have somekey linksthat have been provided from our Past Futures team: Kelly Wetherick, Martha Henson and Caroline Barnes.

During our Past Futures drop-in sessions, Martha, our Digital Services specialist had created a Digital Brief template to hand out to attendees. It’s a way to summarise your application details in a check-list format for you to work your way through.
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Download template

Past Futures is delivered in partnership with Creative Island and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.

Partners Notes:

Creative Island is the Cultural Development Agency for the Isle of Wight, committed to ensuring that everyone on the Island has the greatest chance to participate in, enjoy and shape the place they live. Creative Island will work with applicants to help them outline their bids and navigate the requirements of utilising funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

‍Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) is an independent grant making charity supporting the Isle of Wight; our core aim is to tackle poverty and inequality. HIWCF will administer and manage this grant programme.

This grant programme is made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.