YOUNG people from Impressions Gallery’s New Focus group will attend The National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey tomorrow, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

Members of the Royal family, and religious and political leaders will be joined by members of the public who have contributed to the centenary on a national, regional and local level.

The National Lottery has helped millions of people across the UK explore the First World War during the centenary. New Focus ran a year-long project, No Man’s Land: Young People Uncover Women’s Viewpoints on the First World War.

Working in partnership with Impressions Gallery, The Peace Museum in Bradford, the University of Leeds and IWM (Imperial War Museums), the young people investigated photographs made by women who worked as nurses, ambulance drivers, and official photographers, as well as peace campaigners. New Focus created an innovative educational publication for other young people, bringing to life the First World War through the eyes of women.

Recognising the huge contribution the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and its First World War projects have made to the Centenary, the Department for Digital, Media and Sport invited HLF to nominate people to attend the Service. As a result over 300 people who have been involved with HLF funded First World War projects across the UK have been invited to attend the Service on Sunday.

The New Focus Centenary project was made possible by a grant of £34,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which distributes the heritage share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide variety of projects across the UK. HLF has invested £97million in 2,200 First World War Centenary projects.

Anne McNeill, Director of Impressions Gallery, said: “It’s a huge honour for New Focus to be invited to The National Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, and reflects the positive impact the project has had on young people, schools and communities in Bradford and beyond."

Asiya Hussain, New Focus member, said: “This project has been truly life changing, Ive had the opportunity to work with schools, present at academic confrences, run cultural events and showcase the project at the House of Commons. To then be invited to this historic event is a real tribute to everyone involved.”

Emily Coghlan, New Focus member, said: “This project has brought me closer to the lives of women who worked during the First World War. It’s been an incredibly moving journey exploring some of these courageous women who worked as nurses, ambulance drivers, photographers and peace activists. It’s extremely humbling to learn about women’s contributions in the war, and to be commemorating their experiences 100 years later. I am really pleased that, thanks to National Lottery Players and the Heritage Lottery Fund, we can share these stories with other young people.”