During the Coronavirus pandemic I was approached by the Isle of Wight Council Museums and Schools Programme to produce an oral history best practice guide for schools who might like to undertake their own oral history projects. 

I subsquently wrote two guides based on my experiences of working with schools on community oral history projects  - one for teachers - and one for Year 5/6 pupils which are now available for Isle of Wight schools as PDF documents. 

For more information please contact the IOW Council Museum and Schools Programme: 

https://www.iow.gov.uk/Residents/Libraries-Cultural-and-Heritage/Heritage-Service/Museum-Service/Museums-and-Schools-Programme

This was a 12 month reminiscence project in partnership with Sovereign Housing on the Isle of Wight. Since March 2020 Sovereign have been supporting their residents who are facing loneliness and isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

From October 2020 I worked with 20  residents living in Sovereign sheltered accommodation. The project provided the opportunity for residents to share their memories which were sparked by a series of bespoke reminiscence booklets I created that were sent to them monthly. The booklets were then be followed up with a reminiscence session over the telephone.

https://www.sovereign.org.uk/thriving-communities

This project focused on the memories, lives and the communities that make up the town of Newport over the last century.  It was a 12 month Heritage Lottery Fund project which took place during 2019. Stories which are slipping away but still just within living memory is heritage at risk and this project addressed this need.  Memories of Newport were recorded through an oral history project and made available through a town trail app. 

I managed the oral history element of the project, including working with community volunteers who were trained to conduct interviews with local people who have memories of growing up and living in Newport.  In addition I worked with several local primary schools where pupils were trained in reminiscence and oral history techniques to run workshops and interview sessions to enable them to elicit and record the memories of older people in their communities of Newport in the past. The memories captured in the interviews have been used to create soundbites for the Newport town trail which can be viewed here: 

http://www.newportwight.org.uk/

In 2018 Brading Community Archive Group were been awarded £45,700 through the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 2 year project to preserve and collect the rich heritage of Brading and make it accessible through a community archive website. Collecting oral histories of local people relating to the history and heritage of Brading is one element of this two year project.

I managed the oral history element of the project which included training and mentoring volunteers to conduct interviews. 

I was also involved with associated educational activities including hosting intergenerational oral history workshops with children and families from Brading Primary School and Brading Youth Club.

The oral history recordings have focused on three main areas - the way of life in the town, the families and people of the town and work and occupations in the town. 

A community archive website has enabled the recordings to be made available to the public. The recordings have also been deposited with Wessex Film and Sound Archive. 

See the project website to listen to some of the interviews: https://www.bradingcommunityarchive.com/oral-history/

“Out on an Island” was an Oral History project that focused on the untold heritage of the Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ community, reflecting their social involvement, contributions, personal struggles and triumphs, breaking stereotypes and historical context for the past 100 years.  

I worked in collaboration with  StoneCrabs Theatre who  delivered the project to provide oral history training for project staff and volunteers as well as best practice guidance. The project has created new oral history  interviews, visual material, staged readings at local libraries, theatre stages, cultural institutions and community venues. The interviews have been archived at Carisbrooke Castle Museum and the Wessex Sound and Film Archive and the materials shared in a local exhibition in 2020 . 

For more information and see the project website here:  https://outonanislandco.uk

Carisbrooke Castle Museum was commissioned by Down to the Coast to deliver two oral history projects from 2017-19 which I managed on their behalf.  Down to the Coast, a landscape partnership scheme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is all about conserving and celebrating what makes the East Wight a fantastic place to work, live and play.

We have now finished the second year of collecting oral histories linked to the green (the countryside) and the blue (the sea) of the East Wight. 

This phase of interviews has focused on individuals with memories of the sea.  20 interviews of oral testimony have been collected which now form part of Carisbrooke Castle Museum's sound archive of "Island Voices".  From boatbuilders, to coastguards, fishermen to harbourmasters these interviews are a unique insight into how Island lives have been shaped by the sea which integral to its heritage. 

The Memories of the Sea interviews can be accessed here:

https://memoriesofthesea.uk

Carisbrooke Castle Museum was commissioned by Down to the Coast to deliver two oral history projects from 2017-19 which I managed on their behalf.  Down to the Coast, a landscape partnership scheme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is all about conserving and celebrating what makes the East Wight a fantastic place to work, live and play.

Throughout 2017 23 individuals were interviewed whose lives have been shaped by farming and agriculture.  The recordings have resulted in a wealth of material relating to continuity and change in agriculture on the Isle of Wight since the Second World War. The interviews are a fascinating insight into the Island’s farming community over the past 70 years - people, places, events and day-to-day life.  The recordings also capture the unique dialect and colloquialisms on the Isle of Wight, many of them linked to farming and the countryside.

The project has provided opportunities for volunteer engagement through interviewing, transcribing and sound editing.  The recordings are archived at Carisbrooke Castle Museum where they are available for public access.  Down to the Coast have created a website where the materials have been interpreted:

www.farmingmemories.com

During 2018  I successfully bid for a small grant from the Down to the Coast programme to create a project to make our Island heritage more accessible for children and adults with learning disabilities . 

The project has been enabling people to explore, enjoy and learn about our Island heritage through bespoke visits to Island heritage sites and museums. At each site visited the participants engaged in activities and recorded their visit through photographs and film. They helped to create a website as part of the project and their experiences and learning can now be shared with others through an accessible online guide:

https://sites.google.com/view/accessible-heritage

‘If it wasn’t for projects like this it’s very unlikely for many of our service users that the opportunity would arise that they could visit museums’ (staff member at Haylands Farm). 

 ‘Memories Matter’, was an HLF Young Roots project which took place during 2016-17 which I managed on behalf of Carisbrooke Castle Museum in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council Heritage Education Service with the Island Free School as our youth partner. This project has enabled young and older people to come together through an intergenerational approach to oral history. 

Project outcomes have included the creation of book, a film and a website which can be accessed at:

 https://sites.google.com/site/iwfsintergen/home

A successful application to HLF's Sharing Heritage programme in 2015 enabled Carisbrooke Castle Museum to embark on creating a new sound archive of "Island Voices" and I had the pleasure of managing this project on their behalf for 12 months. 

This oral history project gave Islanders the opportunity to have their memories recorded for posterity and to be added to the Museum's collection of the social history of the Isle of Wight. 

In total 54 people were interviewed during the project - totalling over 100 hours of recorded testimony.  Interviewees shared memories of their lives and experiences, of places and events of the Isle of Wight.  The interviews contain much information about the towns and villages of the Island and the continuity and change over a century. The interviews have also captured the special and unique Isle of Wight dialect. 

Participant feedback:

“Physical artefacts in museums are obviously valuable but to have a record of the actual voices of the people who used them is invaluable. Brilliant project” 

“What I have liked in particular about this project is realising that my record is as important but no more important than anyone else’s. It has made me feel part of a wonderful community” 

Read some of the interview extracts here:

https://carisbrookecastlemuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/island-memories-interview-extracts.pdf

An HLF Awards for All grant funded a community outreach project which I managed on behalf of Carisbrooke Castle Museum from 2013-14. This project has used museum resources (objects, photographs, and the skills and knowledge of staff) to enhance the quality of life of older people in our community who may not have opportunities to access to heritage.

12 new collections of portable resources were created specifically for use with older people during the course of this project. Objects were selected for sensory appeal and interest in terms of subject matter - the themes chosen were: the kitchen, around the home, sports and games, the seaside, shopping, home crafts, Christmas, wartime, travel and transport, going out, washday and teatime. 

Project volunteers were recruited and involved in a training programme which included best-practice visits to Hampshire Museum Service sites , Dementia Awareness training with Dr Gemma Jones and reminiscence training with the  Age Exchange.

24 outreach sessions using the new resources were hosted at residential homes by project volunteers as well as other organisations supporting older people in our community such as the Alzheimer's Cafe Network, Stroke Association, Alzheimer's Society and Age UK. Each session was designed with residents needs in mind after consultation and discussion with staff. 

Some participant feedback:

“I liked in particular.....talking about the objects which brought back memories of the past and helped us to find out more about each other that we didn’t know before”.

“Discussing objects brought smiles and delight”.

The Museum now runs a successful community outreach service for older people completely delivered by its Museum volunteers.  See their website for more information:

https://carisbrookecastlemuseum.org.uk/outreach/

Since 2011 I have applied on an annual basis to the Isle of Wight Council Adult and Community Learning Service commissioning programme to develop and run short history courses utilising the collections of the IOW Council Heritage Education Service based at Carisbrooke Castle Museum. 

During this time I have successfully run a total of 25 short courses in the community to help widen participation in learning for those who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate including;  people with poor mental health, older people (50+), people with disabilities and learning difficulties. 

My courses always combine hands-on learning opportunities using museum objects as well as visits to museums and heritage sites to bring history topics to life. Using museum objects in this way has a number of benefits for participants including increased concentration, communication and social interaction. History topics I teach range from Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Tudors, Stuarts, Victorians, First World War, Second World War.  Courses are generally run for existing groups and hosted in their own meeting place where learners can be supported by their own carers and support staff.  

I have also recruited and trained volunteers who support me in the delivery of courses and sessions.  This has provided them with opportunities to further develop their skills and experience in this field. 

Feedback from learners: 

'I enjoyed trying to guess the purpose of the objects and the fun and the laughter of the other explanations’. 

‘I liked all of it best.  It was interesting and exciting’. 

‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and glad you’ve taken the time to come and do the sessions’. 

‘I enjoyed everything - dressing up was best’.

‘Thoroughly enjoyed.  I wish there were more sessions’.  

Feedback from supporters:

'It provided a platform for a very positive unique, collective experience that was enhanced by the sharing of ideas, talking together and interacting which relates to ‘quality of life’'

'I thought that the sessions were run extremely well  and very enjoyable. They were interesting and fun and provoked a good deal of conversation, nostalgia and thoughtfulness and, of course, a good deal of laughter'

‘I would just like to say thank you to Lisa for providing our service users with the opportunity to spend the afternoon at Carisbrooke Castle Museum. A brilliant afternoon was had by all, it really ticked so many boxes! It provided so much stimulation for conversation, promoted independence and also provided respite for the carers as they had a chance to wander off on their own.  With out a doubt it certainly helped with peoples confidence – speech, mobility and social contact. Not to mention the fact that it also motivated individuals who have an existing interest in history.  It will also give us a topic to work on for the next few weeks!!’

From 2005-2010 I developed a new learning programme for Brading Roman Villa and worked on a part-time freelance basis as their Learning Development Officer which was made possible with a number of grants from Leader+ European Union Rural Development Funding and South East Museum, Library and Archive Council.  

My work involved fundraising for learning provision, resources and community education projects, audience development, training education volunteers, developing educational provision and resources, working with schools and community groups on and off site, working in partnership with colleagues on museum exhibition and interpretation including leading on the development of a new audio guide for the site. 

I successfully led the organisation through the process of acquiring the Sandford Award for Education  as well as provided educational input into the Museum Accreditation process.

Have included: 

• Southampton City Council

Production of an Audience Development Plan for Tudor House Museum. This involved consultation with teachers, learning providers, young people and community groups through a variety of participatory methods, an audit of service and learning provision, analysing user profile and developing the audience base.

• University of Southampton, Textile Conservation Centre

Lecturing on a range of learning, access and interpretation topics. Development of a new ‘learning and access’ pathway specialism for the MA course. Induction of new students and supervision of student research and dissertations.

• Museums Library Archive Council,  South East

Undertaking background research for the launch of the Strategic Commissioning programme in the south east region. Subsequent management of two of the Strategic Commissioning funded projects for the IOW, involving 6 IOW museums. Production of a Cultural Diversity toolkit and Case Studies of learning projects in the region.

• Surrey Heritage

Research undertaken as part of the Learning on my Doorstep programme in relation to the current provision of Initial Teacher Training in the south east region to raise awareness with upcoming practitioners of the local cultural opportunities available.

• Mary Rose Trust

Planning and delivery of a Community Outreach and Access Programme to increase access to the collections funded through the Designation Challenge Fund. I worked successfully with a range of partner organisations to plan and deliver the project which involved taking objects from the collection into the community and bring hard to reach audiences into the Museum. This project won the Portsmouth City Council Project of the Year 2003.