Over the years we have recorded many interviews with people as part of our research work, and as we realised what a wonderful resource these were in their own right we started to create exhibitions built around these. With the advent of lockdown we also had to find new ways to work which had led to a whole series of audio walks, of which we’re very proud.
You’ll find all of those here, alongside a number of the interviews, our audio work for Loros Hospice, and the Songs of Defiance ‘album’ that we created as part of our Sutton Shall Rise! project (Song of the Luddites being included on a Radio Three broadcast marking the 200th anniversary of Byron’s death). We also have a huge amount of oral history material around Raleigh which we are currently working on finding a way to make available again.
Sherwood Voices
A series of seven audio walks that tell a new story of the culture, identity and history of the Sherwood Forest area.
Initiated by the Nottingham community theatre company Excavate in partnership with Inspire: Learning, Libraries and Culture and the Miner2Major Landscape Partnership scheme, and funded by Arts Council England and the Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Oakham Canal Audio Walk
‘Take yourself on a self guided tour of this fantastic slice of Rutland history. Hear tales of how the canal was created, fought over, its impact on Rutland and of its decline.
All made possible by our amazing partners: Excavate, Arts for Rutland and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside our local volunteers.
Songs of Defiance
Building on from the success of our work in Ashfield around the story of the Luddite rebellions there of two hundred years ago we released a CD of Luddite songs of the period, recorded by a community choir and our very own The Army of Redressers.
The Chilwell Munitions Tragedy
A soundpiece and a series of seven interviews with those who had family connections to some of the many people who were killed in at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Notts when TNT exploded. On 1 July 1918 134 people were killed, of whom only 32 could be positively identified, and a further 250 were injured. It was the single greatest loss of life on UK soil during the First World War.
Tracks in Time
Two interviews from ex-railway workers, as part of our project exploring how Netherfield was transformed by the building of one of the largest railway marshalling yards in Europe.
Lynton Guest / Barbeque 67 Revisited
Our HLF project about the infamous Spalding music festival featured an exhibition that included many interviews with those who were present. This one – with Lynton Guest. who would go on to co-form Love Affair in 1966, and have several UK top 10 hits, including the number one “Everlasting Love” – evokes the excitement of that moment.
A conversation about the refugee crisis with Jan Semmelroggen
Jan is a human geographer specializing in global migration and urban development. This interview was part of our research process for the In Flux project, examining the history of borders in the Middle East.
Thinking Ahead stories
We created eight audio stories for Loros Hospice for their Thinking Ahead study. This explored with patients and families from diverse ethnic backgrounds their experiences and decisions concerning the future and planning for deterioration and dying. The stories were used to promote conversation, were part of an N.H.S. training packages, and used by facilitators in group learning.
A guest appearance by Brian Blessed
Whilst working on ‘the ‘The Right Up Our Street Bingo Bonanza!’ we discovered that Brian Blessed came from Mexborough, where we we performing at the Concertina Club. A quick email and …