A SCHEME to record the “voices and stories” of a popular city centre cafe before its demolition has been awarded £24,000.

The grant has been awarded to History in Action CIC to document the history of Fountains cafe on John Street.

Next year the cafe, part of Oastler Market, will be demolished following the opening of the new Darley Street Market.

Historic England awarded the grant to the group’s ‘Fountains of Tales’ project as part of its ‘Everyday Heritage Grants” – which were set up to celebrate working-class histories.

Historic England describes the cafe as “a unique meeting place and melting pot for city centre and market life, a place where working-class residents and migrants from all over the world have met, talked, worked and enjoyed food together for many years".

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The Fountains of Tales project will record the voices and stories of the cafe, before turning them into a play that will be performed in the market before it vanishes forever.

The aim of the project is to capture and share the tales of ordinary people and involve people who don’t normally engage with heritage.

Other projects awarded funding include a £10,000 grant to Verd de Gris Arts to run a project called Halifax Stars, which will celebrate the boxing clubs of Halifax.