The Lightbox museum and gallery was set up for the people of Woking, providing access to community heritage collections. For this project, a group of heritage volunteers were trained by The Lightbox’s staff and qualified archivists, enabling them to research artefacts that revealed the fascinating stories of the town’s history.

The volunteers visited the Surrey History Centre, the National Archives at Kew and the British Library to trace information on local personalities. They made oral history recordings of contemporary local heroes such as Paul Weller. They also worked with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and local people to discover more about Muslim soldiers and Woking’s Muslim Burial Ground.

The volunteers produced 13 curated displays for the ‘Woking’s Story’ exhibition. They were also able to share their learning through talks and workshops with schools and local history societies.