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Curating Luton

Curating Luton is a community developed, National Lottery Heritage Fund supported strategy that guides how Luton celebrates, protects and develops its heritage through partnership projects, place making activities and ongoing support for local heritage groups.

Curating Luton heritage strategy

Curating Luton is the town’s ten year heritage strategy, created ahead of its original 2025 target with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund grant funding. Developed with more than 30 community and stakeholder groups, and shaped by contributions from over 300 people through the Heritage Enabler project, the strategy was launched in September 2021 and will be updated in 2023. 

View the Luton Heritage Strategy

Place making and community involvement

The Heritage Enabler project (2020 to 2021) enabled community co‑development of the strategy and set out a shared vision that Luton’s identity, pride and wellbeing are strengthened by its heritage. Building on this work, the council has secured further National Lottery Heritage Fund support to:

  • strengthen the network of community organisations delivering heritage activity in Luton
  • develop the Curating Luton Collective to support collaboration, skills development, networking and funding opportunities
  • co‑create a five year Heritage Implementation Plan with community groups, heritage practitioners, local institutions and advisory bodies
  • shape a town wide plan covering all areas of heritage, including natural, industrial, cultural and built heritage, as well as heritage at risk
  • develop an annual autumn programme that includes the September Month of Heritage, an enhanced Heritage Open Days offer, a place activation programme for arts, culture and heritage, and a heritage practitioner summit with the University of Bedfordshire

If you would like to contribute to the development of Luton’s Heritage Implementation Plan, please contact:

Email: heritage@luton.gov.uk

The Curating Luton Collective

The Curating Luton Collective supports the growing number of heritage projects and practitioners in the town. National Lottery Heritage Fund investment has supported 13 community heritage projects, with over £2.7 million invested in Luton in the last five years.

The collective offers opportunities for collaboration, skills development and shared learning, helping heritage groups and professionals to strengthen their work across the town. If you are delivering, or hoping to deliver, a heritage project in Luton, you are welcome to join.

For more information, contact:

Email: Lilly.smith@luton.gov.uk

September month of heritage

Heritage Open Days take place nationally each year. If you would like information on upcoming open days, please contact:

Email:  Carly.Smith@luton.gov.uk