2026 artists for Land of Lead and Silver project

The North Pennines National Landscape team has appointed an artist-in-residence and awarded three community arts bursaries for 2026, as part of the Land of Lead and Silver project.

The project has been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players, and Historic England and will run to December 2027, working with volunteers and local communities to unearth the stories of lead and silver mining in the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.

The artist-in-residence, James Gillespie and Máiréad Kerr with Alston Folk Choir, and the artists undertaking the bursaries, Katharine Goda, Louise Taylor, and Haltwhistle Film Project and Susie Tate, will offer workshops across the North Pennines National Landscape to take a new and exciting look at the lead and silver mining heritage of the area and engage people with the industrial heritage in creative and accessible ways.

Bursary artists

Katharine Goda will be working with Durham Fed Schools to undertake creative writing activities.

Louise Taylor will be working with Jack Drum Arts photographing caliminarian grasslands and creating botanical field guides.

Haltwhistle Film Project and Susie Tate will be integrating dance and animation to celebrate and understand the landscape and mining processes of the North Pennines through workshops with About Being (stroke recovery and Parkinson’s group), and FilmAble (production company run by people with learning disabilities).

ENDS

Notes for editors

Contact the North Pennines National Landscape communications team for further information – communications@northpennines.org.uk

The Land of Lead and Silver project has been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England and will run to December 2027, working with volunteers and local communities to unearth the stories of lead and silver mining in the North Pennines National Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk.

About Historic England
We are Historic England, the public body that protects and brings life to the heritage that matters to us all, so it lives on and is loved for longer. From the extraordinary to the everyday, our historic places and spaces matter. From community centres to cathedrals, homes to high streets, markets to mills – there are special places we all choose to hold onto, the legacy we want to pass on and the stories we continue to tell. That’s why we work together with people across England to discover, protect and bring new life to our shared historic environment, providing advice, knowledge, support and services. Follow us on social media @HistoricEngland.