A much-loved community resource will celebrate its history and connection with the local community through the ‘Linskill Life after School’ exhibition at the Linskill Centre, to be held from Tuesday 5th to Wednesday 6th June.
Over the past months Linskill heritage volunteers, enabled by a £56,000 Heritage Lottery Fund award and under the direction of project co-ordinator Cath Walshaw, have been researching and documenting the community history of the Linskill Centre, from 1984 to 2017.
Volunteers have been at the core of the ‘Linskill Life after School’ project investing time and skills to complete the project and achieve the celebration. Trained in heritage research, archiving, oral history and sound recording techniques, volunteers have captured the essence of Linskill Centre by creating a ‘soundscape photo-journal’ of a day in the life of Linskill, capturing memories of community involvement in the centre and creating a 32 year time-line, reflecting the centre’s history in context of other local and work events.
It is befitting this celebration coincides with National Volunteers Week, 1st to 7th June 2018, acknowledging the input and role of our volunteers during this event. The Linskill Centre now welcomes our community to help celebrate ‘Linskill’s Life after School’, reflecting on over 30 years community history through music, film and photographic displays.
Simeon Ripley, Linskill’s Chief Executive commented, “The Linskill Life after School project was timed to coincide with the completion of recent Big Lottery funded renovations to the centre. We now invite our community to come along and enjoy our improved facilities whilst reflecting on the centre’s past through music and exhibitions on display.
Without local people’s commitment to save the centre in 2004, we would not be here to celebrate anything. The centre is genuinely owned by our community, as it is now run by a community trust and is financially independent in providing for local people.
The ‘Linskill Life after School’ project acknowledges how the centre has grown and developed over the years into becoming the busy place it is today, whilst valuing and recognising our community’s role in helping achieving all this. So please come along and help celebrate our history.”
In keeping with the community theme it is fitting that the Linskill Choir, a weekly group of keen singers, will perform music reflecting the centre’s history at 6.30pm on the Tuesday evening and will also be showcasing new music created for the celebration.
The exhibition is open Tuesday 5th June from 10am to 8pm and Wednesday 6th June from 10am to 6pm in the Trevelyan Hall at the Linskill Centre. Entry to the exhibition and choir performance is free and open to all of the community.
For further information about the Linskill’s Life after School project call Sandra Moffat on 0191 257 8000 or email sandra@linskill.org.