Funding secured

Posted 11/02/10

GREAT NEWS! Wild Rose Heritage and Arts has secured funding to continue its work. The major bid we were hoping to receive in the autumn of 2008 did not materialize. Although we continued in a limited capacity, primarily researching possible future projects, since late 2009 we began our new work as outlined in the following Press Release.

HERITAGE GROUP STARTS NEW WORK

Calderdale’s oral history charity, Wild Rose Heritage and Arts (WRHaA), has been awarded over £26,000 in grants to fund the first year of its new 4-year project ‘Age to Age.’ The funding was provided by Pennine Prospects ‘Leader Programme’ (£20,650), the Community Foundation For Calderdale (£4982) and Hebden Royd Town Council (£1500).

The project will see WRHaA working with Scout Road School pupils to interview family members and friends about their experiences of work and change in the Valley. Another part of the project involves young people interviewing musicians and skateboarders about their lives and interests. The project’s aim is to collect and preserve life-stories for current and future generations.

Calderdale Theatre School and Calder High School pupils will use these interviews to produce a public performance around Easter next year. Following the success of a pilot project with Sheffield Hallam students, WRHaA will also develop an educational resource pack on local history for use in local schools. Other planned activities include storytelling sessions and a guided walk.

As Project Manager, Tony Wright says “Things have changed, but what hasn’t changed is that history is made up of the lives of real people and local voices can bring alive the experience of change in a way that helps people to understand their environment. We’ve already collected many life-stories from the older inhabitants of the upper Calder Valley and we’ll continue to do this, but what’s really exciting about our new project is that we will be talking to every age group from ten years and upwards. Our vision is that this will be a true reflection of our times.”

Anyone interested in local or oral history will find plenty of interesting material on the WRHaA website http://www.wildrosearts.net. Anyone willing to donate photographic or other archive material or volunteer as an interviewee, interviewer, researcher, proof reader, IT audio/visual processor, fund raiser or just to participate generally should contact Tony Wright on 01422 843398 or info@wildrosearts.net. Help of any kind is always welcome and volunteers’ expenses will be provided.