A GOVERNMENT grant is set to allow a Horwich arts group to save thousands of historic images for local people to enjoy.

Creative Mind at the Horwich Arts Studios in Hampson Street has been given £53,000 in the first round of the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. This is helping 445 organisations across the country.

The grant means that Creative Mind will now be able to preserve 250,000 original antique images, historic photos and creative art works.

These will be presented on websites and as on-line galleries as well as bringing heritage images to a wider and younger audience of 18 to 36 year-olds.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a nation, it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past.

“This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”

Helen Prescott, from Creative Mind, said: “We are very grateful for the funding of our project. We now have a chance to conserve historic images and make them available to the wider public.”

The grant also means that the organisation can employ two people on six-month, part-time contracts. They are looking for an archivist/administrator and a web manager/IT support, both with a background in visual arts, heritage, gallery or museum work.

Creative Mind runs weekly creative writing workshops and stages exhibitions which include heritage art, photography and modern art. It also produces annual anthologies with the latest, on Nature and Walking in Nature, due out this month.

For more information on its work and the job opportunities go to http://creativemindhorwich.btck.co.uk/