An actor has been given an opportunity to fly to Austria and Italy to see how culture in south Lincolnshire can be preserved.
Ryan Gilmartin, who grew up in Spalding and attended Spalding Grammar School, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship, a nationally competitive award given to outstanding individuals to research and develop ideas that benefit communities across the UK.
Ryan will use the Fellowship to travel to Austria and Italy to study how rural communities build their own cultural events rooted in local heritage, bringing the findings back to South Lincolnshire.
He is one of only a handful of artists in the country to receive the award this year.
It funds ‘four to eight weeks’ of learning from global experts who want to lead change and improve their communities.
Among Ryan’s artistic creations inspired by Lincolnshire is the show Henry VIII Used to Hate Us which looks at the events following the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536 when a rebellion against the king took place in the county.
To celebrate his Fellowship he’s taking the show on tour including a show in the historic surroundings of Crowland Abbey on Wednesday, September 30 as well as Flag Fen in Peterborough on Sunday, October 4.
The show uses live music, folklore and plenty of humour to tell the hidden story of why Henry VIII’s described us as “the most brute and beastly” county. Music is provided by acclaimed folk duo Dipper Malkin, who have played on soundtracks for The Hobbit and Netflix shows.
Ryan said: “I’ve spent years making work that puts Lincolnshire at the centre of the story, because I genuinely believe this county has one of the most unique and overlooked histories in England.
“Now being awarded a Churchill Fellowship feels like national recognition of that and there’s no better way to celebrate than by bringing the show home for Lincolnshire Day.”
