Blackpool Council has been awarded £97,000 from The Collections Fund – delivered by the Museums Association to help preserve the Blackpool Tower Circus Collection and make it available to the public.

The two-and-a-half-year project is called Marvels and Mayhem and will contribute to the proposed displays in the Blackpool Museum, which will be based in the Pavilion Theatre within the Winter Gardens.

The project will support the recruitment of volunteers to help create a catalogue and preserve the collection, as well as providing engagement opportunities with the local community.

The aim of the Collections Fund is to develop collections and use them to achieve positive social impact.

In an innovative new partnership with the School of Society, Health and Childhood at Blackpool and the Fylde College will enable students to explore how the circus collection can be used to support health and wellbeing.

The partnership will culminate in a number of students planning, researching and delivering circus collection activity within their health and social care area.

Marvels and Mayhem will also work with Blackpool Council Arts and Library Services to produce an imaginative creative writing and storytelling offer for schools.

Using the Save Our Stories vehicle, a fantastical rescue vehicle which supports literacy, the project will use the fun of the circus to inspire children and boost their confidence and creativity.

The Collection Fund launched in 2011 and is offering a total of £3.5m in grants between 2017 and 2019. The award for the project in Blackpool is the twelfth round of awards the fund has made so far and is the largest grant awarded this round.

The final aim of the project is to add to the knowledge of the collection. Members of the local and regional circus community will be invited to the collection to share their stories, experiences and expertise which will add to the understanding of the collection and the history of Circus.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council said: “This is an exciting opportunity to invest in the Blackpool Tower Circus Collection, which has international significance and is so important to the history of Blackpool.

“2018 is the 250th anniversary of circus and the project will play a part in wider celebrations around the country and make sure Blackpool Tower Circus is a part of this milestone.

“A legacy of this project will be achieved through the support of volunteers during the life of the project. They will be involved in listing and cataloguing the collections, photographing and digitising items and putting the collection in materials so people can view them safely.”

Joanne Hall, Curriculum Manager from Society, Health & Childhood at B&FC, said: “We are delighted to be working with Blackpool Council on this innovative project.

“This is a unique opportunity which B&FC higher education students can use as a focus for their studies. They will be looking at approaches to social care and how access to Blackpool’s historic and cultural collections can support people’s wellbeing. With this understanding our students will be equipped to make the most of Blackpool’s cultural heritage and the new museum in their working practices across the Fylde coast.

“The project will see B&FC students immersed in the town’s history and contributing to an important collection for the wider Museum Project – but considering the material in ways that will benefit the community in more practical ways rather than how it might be looked at by historians or artists.”