Curate Our History
Local history not just brought to life but bringing life
-Do you have any experience to help us understand what it was like to be in the war?
– Do you know, I don’t drink water. Shall I tell you the reason why? We’d been wandering round the desert for quite a while and we stumbled across a little well. We stayed there for about four or five days using the water, and when we got to the bottom, what did we find? Two dead soldiers! Molly and George, Year 9, interviewing 100-year-old Arthur Domican [Perhaps highlighted in a way that differentiates it from the main copy]
As a way of capturing the important stories of local people and sharing them with the community, Curate Our History was first piloted in Farnworth during 2021.
School pupils and church members from the BL4 area became community journalists, delving into the lives of elderly local residents, as well as those of church members. They learned to craft and curate videos of their historical findings, on websites as well as in pop-up exhibition spaces.
The legacy that was created by the launch of Curate Our History includes not only a collection of eight online videos and a series of lesson plans, but a deeper knowledge amongst those involved with the project about how the lives of elderly neighbours and relatives can spark transformation in the lives of younger generation.
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 [Maybe in a separate quote box]
Bolton charity Third Space, who were heavily involved in the initiative, are now keen to make this revelation and these resources available to other church, school and community groups across Bolton who want to see local history not just brought to life, but bringing life.
Curate Our History in schools
[Photo of Carla and the kids at St James’, yet to be taken, stock image for now]
“All of us want our kids to make good decisions but what can you do when they don’t seem to want to listen? Somehow, asking them to be creatively involved in capturing and crafting the received wisdom of another generation was effective beyond my expectations.” Teacher, Carla Pickering [Perhaps highlighted in a way that differentiates it from the main copy]
During the 2021 pilot of Curate Our History, students at St James’ School in Farnworth enjoyed learning the basics of journalism through a series of lesson plans delivered by staff at Bolton charity Third Space. Applying their interviewing and editing skills, they helped create videos of their neighbours, 100-year-old war veteran Arthur and Sonny, who overcame racism when he came to the UK as part of the Windrush scheme.
“The fact that, as a young man, Arthur had to sacrifice his plans to study architecture in order to fight, really brought home the value of taking options at GCSE for the students.” said Carla Pickering, who has been involved in delivering the Curate Our History lessons.
If you are interested in doing something similar, members of the Third Space team are on hand to support you with lesson delivery, video editing and community involvement amongst other things.
In addition, all eight Curate Our History videos (see catalogue on this leaflet/webpage), as well as lesson resources, are available online at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaPX5RrPgm6uV91o8oQU4fQ/videos
Curate Our History in churches
[Photo of Margaret Platt sitting in the church and the gravestone of the Canadian soldier, taken as a screen grab from the video]
“Why would a Canadian be buried in our churchyard?” asked Margaret Platt, who is secretary of the Great Lever and Morris Green Local History Society, before going on to unearth the history of local lad James Stephenson who emigrated to America to work in the cotton mills before enlisting in the Canadian army.
Her archival excavations have been captured on video as part of the Curate Our History initiative, piloted in Farnworth in 2021, with the support of the four churches and fours school from the Seven Saints parish.
The footage, along with another seven local history videos (see full catalogue in this leaflet/on this webpage) was given its first public airing at an event at St Michael’s with St Bartholomew’s Church in Great Lever, to coincide with the church’s 170-year anniversary.
If you are interested in doing something similar, members of Bolton charity, Third Space, are on hand to support you with community involvement, video editing and lesson delivery, amongst other things.
In addition, all eight Curate Our History videos (see catalogue on this leaflet/webpage), as well as lesson resources, are available online at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaPX5RrPgm6uV91o8oQU4fQ/videos