A CREATIVE project involving young people in Bradford investigating the heritage of Magna Carta has received nearly £50,000 of Lottery funding.

The project, marking the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, will explore the context in which it was written, its journey through history and its legacy of freedom and democracy.

Bradford-based arts organisations Mind the Gap and Freedom Studios have received £49,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project, called Magna Carta on Trial.

The theatre companies will work alongside professors and students at the Heritage Partner Institute of Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds.

The project, culminating in a performance at Bradford City Hall on June 15, will enable local young people with and without learning disabilities to research the history of the Magna Carta.

The performance will be followed by a film made by young people to educate other young people on the Magna Carta, its significance and what it means today. The film will be used as an educational resource and as part of a schools workshop tour planned for this autumn.

Manningham-based Mind the Gap provides training and performance opportunities for actors with learning disabilities and Freedom Studios, based in Little Germany, is a multi-cultural theatre company creating innovative drama in non-traditional spaces.

The company's mission is to connect different communities by making theatre which reflects the lives of contemporary British people, and to engage with multicultural audiences, especially those who don’t normally go to theatre.

The lottery funding has enabled both theatre companies to employ two part-time freelancers to help deliver the project, and they will be seeking volunteers for the workshops.

Mind the Gap executive director Julia Skelton said: “Together we will use our creative expertise to share the heritage of the Magna Carta and its impact on us today with a diverse range of young people from across our district.”

Magna Carta, meaning ‘The Great Charter’, is one of the most famous documents in the world.

It was signed by King John at Runnymede in 1215 as a solution to the political crisis he faced.

A group of barons had rebelled against his rule, protesting in particular about the levying of huge taxes to pay for wars overseas.

The barons managed to seize control of London which forced the King John to negotiate and draft the document which established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law.

Although nearly a third of the text was deleted or substantially rewritten within ten years, and almost all the clauses have been repealed in modern times, Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British constitution.