The Historypin project will be delivered by Leeds Library Services, Norfolk County Council Library and Information Services and Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums, supported by Historypin’s community archive platform.
Historypin has been awarded £545,555 for a pilot heritage project that aims to bring people together from different generations and cultures to explore and share the rich history of their communities.
The grant, announced today, has been made under the Big Lottery Fund’s Accelerating Ideas programme and is the first to come through the pilot phase which is focussed on projects supporting the challenges presented by an ageing population.
The Historypin project will support local events where older people can meet, share and record precious memories. Combining photographs, documents, sounds and films to trigger memories, the projects will be run by local volunteers who will digitise photos, collect stories and record oral histories to share online.
“Every house, every park, every church and public street echoes with the memories of our families and our friends, and we want to bring some of these meaningful places to life,” said Breandán Knowlton, Executive Director of Historypin. “Working through the indispensable networks of library and museum services is such a rich way to connect with the citizens who know the most about local history – and are willing to share their knowledge with the next generation.”
Working with local library and museum services and voluntary organisations the project will endeavour to create more social activities and local networks to help reduce isolation in older people.
In doing so it will offer digital skills training to link up to stories online and provide offline events, such as presentations along with printed booklets. Historypin will also create a set of digital tools and resources to help expand the project more widely across the country.
