Circadia - Bid Writer (Consultant) We are appointing a consultant bid writer to develop submission-ready funding materials for Circadia. Circadia is an oral history and music installation - a century of nursing scored into one time-bending 24-hour shift. Audiences surrender their watches and time-keeping devices before entering the space, so their experience of time is shaped by Circadia's 24-hour cycle. They enter a comfortable communal environment with beds. At the centre, a kinetic light sculpture marks the passing hours. If it is 23:00, everyone hears real nursing stories associated with 23:00 - voices from across the decades are collaged around the same hour of care. Movement unlocks archival echoes and field recordings, which drift and return with variation rather than repeating. Thus, audiences can follow the nurses' stories in sync with clock time, or they can step into quieter, more "timeless" areas, where sound is not patterned by clock hours. Audiences tune into stories of care that never stands still for as long as they wish, knowing that the work continues after they leave. Circadia draws on an archive of oral histories and around-the-clock audio diaries recorded by nurses, midwives and patients, exploring how time was spent, valued and negotiated across nearly a century. T We are seeking National Lottery funding for a new phase of work in which NHS communities and people who face barriers to engaging with heritage co-design parts of the installation and public engagement programme. This is a well-developed proposal with seed funding and letters of support pledging venue space and staff time across cultural, creative health, educational and professional partners. Around 6.5 days work in late January - March 2026 depending on day rate and experience Funder options: recommend the strongest National Lottery route for submission. We are in the process of submitting a project enquiry form to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their feedback. One National Lottery application (submission-ready): NLHF if proceeding, or an alternative National Lottery route. Ensure answers, budgets and attachments are consistent Missing information list (max 1 page): what's needed to submit, plus practical routes to obtain it (who to ask / what to request / suggested wording). On the Record leads all external contact. Comment on one secondary-funding bid: based on a draft provided by On the Record Working approach You work from existing drafts/materials and strengthen them (without inventing claims). You identify missing specifics required for submission and integrate what On the Record provides. Essential experience Successful UK funding bids for arts/heritage/participatory work, ideally including National Lottery routes (NLHF and/or other Lottery distributors) Excellent long-form writing and editing: able to turn an existing draft into a funder-appropriate submission without fluff or invented claims Strong funder-fit judgement for innovative, cross-disciplinary heritage projects (able to explain why a route fits, not just list options) Confident aligning narrative, delivery plan and budget (even where On the Record supplies the numbers) Strong organisation, version control and delivery to deadlines Desirable Track record with access-led and/or co-produced programmes Familiarity with oral history, archives, and consent/rights Send:Job Summary
Job Description
Organisation: On the Record CIC (on-the-record.org.uk)
Contract: Fixed-fee consultancy | Fee: ÂŁ2,250 (with potential to extend)Job Requirements
Job Responsibilities
How to Apply
CV (or short bio)
One of: a 1–2 page redacted excerpt or a one-page case study (with references available on request)
Brief note on availability + recent NLHF/National Lottery experience
Apply via [email protected] with subject: “Bid Writer — OTR”.
Deadline 26th January at midnight.