Thanks to a £20,100 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, 15 young people will plan, manage and deliver an intergenerational oral history project to explore the cultural and social heritage of sport and games as part of East Staffordshire Community and Voluntary Service’s Relay Project.   

The young people aged between 16 and 25 will record people’s personal memories and experiences of the last Olympic games, which were held in the UK in 1948, as well as exploring the traditional sport and games played and enjoyed by different cultural and ethnic groups. The group will examine how these games have changed and developed over the period due to changing social attitudes, dress styles and codes, advances in equipment and performance and altering rules. 
 
The participants will receive training and support from local organisations to help them plan and manage the project. Working in partnership with Staffordshire Record Office, the young people will develop a host of new technical and social skills including learning how to collect, record, catalogue and store oral histories and conduct historical research. They will also receive training in presentation skills and filming techniques, such as production and design, to enable them to produce a DVD and information leaflets which will be distributed to local schools to share this heritage with wider audiences. They will also deliver a celebration and community games event to showcase the project findings and their newly acquired skills.  

In addition to developing a range of new skills, the young people will have the opportunity to work towards achieving a Level Two certificate in Community Volunteering which is accredited by the social development and educational charity, ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network).

Funding for the project was awarded through the HLF Young Roots programme, which is designed specifically to encourage young people aged between 13-25 to develop, manage and take the lead in heritage projects that are of interest to them. 

Anne Jenkins, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands said: “The young people will gain new skills while learning to view the Olympic Games in an historical context, uncovering a wealth of information about how sporting events and achievements have changed in the past 60 years. The project scores highly by spanning the generations and different cultures.”

Neil Onions, Manager at East Staffordshire Community and Voluntary Service Volunteer Centre, said: “We are so pleased to have been awarded the Young Roots funding, I feel this project will give the young people of East Staffordshire a chance to be involved in a community project that will be led and designed by them. I am passionate about young people being given opportunities to actively participate in their own communities, and this project will ensure just that. Not only will they learn valuable skills and knowledge but they can leave a legacy of their own linked to the 2012 Olympics, shaping today and creating tomorrow’s heritage.”   

Notes to editors

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects, allocating over £4.7billion across the UK, including £340million to projects in the West Midlands alone.

Further information

Vicky Wilford, HLF press office, on: 020 7591 6046 / 07973 401 937, email vickyw@hlf.org.uk or Phil Cooper, HLF press office, on: 07889 949 173.

Neil Onions, Volunteer Centre Manager, East Staffordshire CVS, on: 01283 543 414