Llanfyllin ni – our Llanfyllin empowered people with learning disabilities in rural Wales – who are under-served by heritage – to tell their own stories about their connections and contributions to the history of Llanfyllin.
Run by Mencap Cymru, the project supported 10 people aged 20 to 75 from the charity’s day service to record their memories and personal histories of the Mid Wales town.
The storytellers chose locations that they had a close or historical connection to – such as the local market, primary school or café. Mencap Cymru support staff then took them there to record interviews.
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic when social distancing was in place, the staff used lapel and hand-held microphones to record.
The project ended with a virtual event to share the stories with the local community and show that people with learning disabilities are central to places.
The stories have been added to the People’s Collection Wales website, which preserves unique stories from everyday people.
