Croydon Airport Society has received a £10,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its “Revealing the Hidden Heritage of Croydon Airport”.

The cash will allow it to recruit and train volunteers to meet growing demand at the Croydon Airport Visitor Centre, help keep it open and research the Society’s extensive archives, making them more accessible through new displays and an online platform.

Croydon Airport was Britain’s first major international airport and during the early 20th century was the starting point or finish for a range of record-breaking flights and technical innovation, laying the foundations of today’s worldwide air transport network. The magnificent Grade II listed airport terminal, built in 1928, was a global “first” and features the world’s oldest air traffic control tower.

Croydon Airport Visitor Centre is volunteer-run by CAS and is open on the first Sunday of every month; it is Croydon’s most popular visitor attraction as reviewed on Trip Advisor.

CAS needs more volunteers to fulfill growing demand, help keep the CAVC open and help local schools with learning about the airport’s history and the significant historic figures associated with it such as Amy Johnson and Charles Lindbergh.

In addition, CAS has a large paper and photographic archive and a collection of items relating to the history of Croydon Airport. Much of this material is in storage and needs digitising and interpretation so that a wider number of people can explore the Society’s rich archive.

The Society is looking for volunteers to join the CAVC team and make the collection more accessible. Full training will be provided on welcoming visitors, giving talks, the history of the airport and working with the archives at meetings to be held in early evenings or at weekends from May to July. If you haven’t quite got the time to get directly involved but would still like to contribute, the Society would also like to hear your stories and memories of the Croydon Airport and its impact on the local area.

“We are delighted to have been selected by the Heritage Lottery Fund to receive funding under their Sharing Heritage programme,” Ian Walker, the Society chairman said.

“This is a really exciting project and it’s the first time that the Croydon Airport Visitor Centre has received any form of funding. It’s a great initiative, giving the local community a unique opportunity to get involved with a fantastic part of our national heritage. We are seeing more and more people visit every year and this HLF Sharing Heritage funding will give us the opportunity to exhibit unseen works and meet growing public demand.”

• For more information on the Croydon Airport Society, including volunteering opportunities, visit their website here

• Inside Croydon Events: for dates and links to what’s happening in and around Croydon, updated daily, click here

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