New heritage plaque unveiled at Wakefield Town Hall

A plaque has been unveiled at Wakefield Town Hall to mark the contributions of two of the city’s key organisations.

The Wakefield Historical Society has reached its 100th anniversary, and the Wakefield Civic Society has reached its 60th anniversary.
  

The plaque marks the close partnership between the Council and local groups, as part of Our Year – Wakefield District 2024. The year-long programme of breath-taking spectacles, unique festivals and community-led activities celebrates all the Wakefield district has to offer.
  
Wakefield’s Mayor, Cllr Darren Byford unveiled the plaque. The event also included a film about the two societies. Their history and ongoing legacy in Wakefield. This was funded as part of the Our Heritage Our Stories project by National Lottery players. 
  
Kevin Trickett from Wakefield Civic Society said: “The new blue plaque is a recognition of the close working and the mutual respect the Council and the Society have for each other. 

“It is very pleasing that the recognition is shared with Wakefield Historical Society. They are our senior by some 40 years, and we have close ties with them. Wakefield Civic Society has been putting up blue plaques in and around Wakefield since 1995, but this is the first time our own work has been recognised on a plaque!”  
  
Pam Judkins from Wakefield Historical Society said “We are very proud the Society has reached 100 years old and is still going strong today. We are delighted that this new plaque recognises the value of both the historical society and the civic society to Wakefield.”  
  
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are thrilled that The Wakefield Historical Society and Wakefield Civic Society are being recognised with a plaque on their special anniversaries. It celebrates their invaluable contributions to preserving Wakefield’s rich heritage. This is part of the ‘Our Heritage, Our Stories.’ The project, thanks to National Lottery players, has enabled more people to get involved with the exciting heritage right on their doorstep.”
  
Our Heritage Our Stories is a two-year project led by Wakefield Council. It supports heritage across the Wakefield District, funded by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

For information

About Wakefield Town Hall
Wakefield Town Hall in Wood Street, is a Grade I listed building that’s run by Wakefield Council. It is part of the city’s Civic Quarter, known for its rich history and Victorian charm, elegance and character. The Town Hall is a wonderful venue for ceremonies such as weddings and corporate events.

About Wakefield Historical Society  
Since its foundation in 1924 Wakefield Historical Society has played a significant part in the life of the city. Research by its members has contributed very substantially to an understanding of the locality’s past. The Society took the leading part, with the local authority and Leeds University, in the excavation of Sandal Castle between 1964 and 1973. The Society currently has over 100 members. They also run Wakefield Historical Publications (founded in 1977) which has published over 45 books and monographs.
  
About Wakefield Civic Society  
Civic Societies across the country play an important role in helping to shape our towns and cities and many Civic Societies were established in the 1960s. When the call came out to set up a Civic Society in Wakefield back in 1964, over 100 people responded by attending a public meeting held in the Kingswood Suite at the Town Hall. Since then, and run entirely by volunteers who give of their time and share their experience, knowledge and skills entirely for free, Wakefield Civic Society has established a strong track record of helping to stimulate debate and draw public attention to planning matters, particularly in the design and architecture of new buildings, while also campaigning for the best of the city’s built heritage to be protected.  
  
About Our Heritage, Our Stories  
Our Heritage, Our Stories is a 2-year project led by Wakefield council and supported by a grant of £245k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project will work with local communities and other partners across the Wakefield district to support and develop the district’s new heritage framework, establish a local Heritage Network, build new partnerships, and help increase the capacity of the heritage sector in the district. It will support a wider range of groups to promote and protect heritage in their local areas, helping them to tell a more diverse range of stories about the places that local communities value, and help improve access to historical collections and hidden heritage sites.  

For more information, please visit https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/culture-and-heritage/heritage/   
Our Heritage Our Stories was launched as part of Wakefield Our Year in 2024 and will form part of the Our Year Legacy in 2025. 
For more information about Our Year please visit https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/our-year-2024/   
  
  
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, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places, and the natural environment. 
 
We help 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. 
 
We are 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, Instagram, and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund  www.heritagefund.org.uk