SINGAPORE — A new initiative that offers heritage and cultural programmes to the underprivileged will be launched in March by the National Heritage Board (NHB).

The initiative, called HeritageCares, was revealed at an annual lunch NHB organised for the media on Monday (Feb 22), and will provide Community Chest beneficiaries — including low-income families, adults and children with disabilities and/or special needs, youths-at-risk and the elderly — access to programmes such as guided trails of historical sites and hands-on workshops.

“It’s free admission for (Singaporeans and Permanent Residents) to come to the museums, but I think for some of the underprivileged families, making the effort to come and also putting in the time and effort to come is sometimes not put as a priority,” said Ms Cheryl Koh, director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at the NHB. “We want to help them and make it easier for them.”

Besides HeritageCares, other highlights the NHB has planned for the year include the Christianity In Asia: Sacred Art and Visual Splendour exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum, a Peranakan Street Party organised by the Peranakan Museum, as well as the 50 Years Of National Day Parade Travelling Exhibition, which will feature the highlights of each parade for the past 50 years.

The National Museum of Singapore (NMS) will also be organising the Celebrating Radio: Sounds from the Past exhibition in celebrattion of 80 years of radio in Singapore. Celebrating Radio, which kicks off on April 15, will feature an exhibition that allows visitors to get acquainted with the history of local radio, as well as a public space with a live broadcasting booth where deejays can show off their craft.

“Singapore this year celebrates 80 years of radio history, and as such, the National Museum is collaborating with Mediacorp to come up with a series of programmes as well as an exhibition related to the history of radio in Singapore,” said Mr Jervais Choo, senior assistant director at the NMS. “As part of the collaboration, the National Museum will be putting up an exhibition featuring about 100 artefacts from the national collection. That will give visitors a good insight on how radio progressed over the past 80 years in Singapore.”