Four unique arts projects will soon come to life after they won funding through the Herefordshire’s a Great Place scheme.

Hush Now, Hidden Women; DEN (Digital Engaged Nature), The Pirene Project and Creatures of the Mappa Mundi will each use arts and digital technology to raise the profile of Herefordshire’s fascinating heritage.

Hereford-based Feral Productions has been awarded £12,000 to create ‘Hush Now, Hidden Women’, an ambitious countywide series of digital and live performances that will give voice to the unmarried mothers who were stigmatised and hidden away in Magdalene Homes across Herefordshire.

New Leaf Sustainable Development Ltd, based at Queenswood Country Park has been awarded £12,000 for DEN (Digital Engaged Nature), developing digital Augmented Reality artwork and an app with young people and professional artists inspired by Queenswood’s trees and plant life.

CreateRoss, a membership association based in Ross-on-Wye, has been awarded £11,500 for The Pirene Project, working with schools and other local groups to create an Augmented Reality tour of local heritage sites, with the recreation of a dramatic 18th century fountain that once stood on the Prospect at the centre.

Meadow Arts has been awarded £12,000 for a project called Creatures of the Mappa Mundi, commissioning international artist Yinka Shonibare and working with Herefordshire-based groups to create bold textile works inspired by the creatures depicted on Hereford’s medieval map and what it means to be ‘an alien’ in 2018.

To secure grants through the Hidden Gems scheme - a brand new arts funding opportunity created by Herefordshire’s a Great Place - each project had to show that diverse and different communities would be involved.

Lauren Rogers, from the Great Place team, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support these four projects. Not only will they raise the profile of our county’s history, they’ll give thousands of people an opportunity to get involved in something creative and collaborative.

“For us that’s key because we know that arts and heritage have a huge impact on people’s lives in Herefordshire: culture can make us happier and healthier, it supports the local economy, and it can be a powerful tool for tackling social issues.”

Co-funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England with support from Historic England, it is a flagship part of the Great Place project being delivered by Rural Media on behalf of the Herefordshire Cultural Partnership.