Hartley Place and Hollymere have been award a £10,000 grant!

Our residents at Hartley Place and Hollymere are starting a new History Project, with the help of our fundraising team.

The service has been awarded £10,000 from Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme, which celebrates working-class histories. The project will support residents at our two extra care services in Ellesmere Port to share their memories and experiences of growing up in, or moving to, the historic town of Ellesmere Port.

Rachel Horton, our service manager at both services, said: “This is a great opportunity for our residents to come together and share their memories of growing up and of working in the area. The residents will choose the themes to explore, we have engaged a specialist local historian and we will plan site visits and an end-of-project exhibition.”

The twelve-month project will consist of eleven workshops, three visits to historical local sites and an exhibition created and curated by the residents.

Our Fundraising Manager, Bob Towers said: ‘Ellesmere Port has a fascinating history from the growth of its canals, the oil refinery, ironworks and the Vauxhall Car Plant. Historic England is sincere in its aim to celebrate the people and places at the heart of our history.

“We are one of only 56 organisations nationally awarded a grant under the Everyday Heritage programme and it gives us a fantastic way for our residents to use their lived experiences to create both the project and the exhibition.

“We know that engaging in activities with their peers is an effective way of reducing stress loneliness and isolation and instead promoting connection, purpose and community.”

Residents will help shape the project as they will choose the topics to explore and will bring in their lived experiences of growing up in the town or moving to the town to find work. They will play a key part in identify themes like school and childhood, holidays, work, housing, social, community. They will also help to design the final exhibition.

To find out how our fundraising team can support your service to gain vital funds to run similar project, contact our fundraising team – fundraising@makingspace.co.uk