Over the past nine months Building Self Belief, a local County Durhamcharity, hasengagedgenerations of Stanley’s residentsin a heritageprojectfunded by Karbon Homes. The Celebrating Stanley projecthascreated connections across the community and unlocked the rich history of the formermining town.
Celebrating Stanley’s purpose has been to bring people together,ofall ages and backgrounds, through creative projects which developthe local identity.Karbonhassupported theprojectby funding £10,500 to cover community outreach and specialist workshops.Projectpartnershave included North Durham Academy, South Stanley Junior School,BeamishMuseum and community groups.
Victoria Keen, Place Strategic Partnership Lead at Karbon,explains: “We have along-standing relationship with Building Self Belief and it’s been wonderful to support this heritage project.By finding out more about Stanley’s past and sharing stories with residents, we canstrengthen thelocalcommunity of today as part of our place-shaping approach in the town.
“Engaging with a cross representation of the community has highlighted so manyoften unknown elements of Stanley and this project has created a platform for them to be shared and enjoyed by others,fuelling a wider sense of civic pride.”
Interviews with secondary school studentsallowed young people of Stanley to have avoice about how their town can be improved. Primary pupils engaged in creative workshops,investigated Stanley’s contribution to the First WorldWar and had an inspiring trip toBeamish Museum. Pupils produced poetry and art for an anthologycelebrating Stanley’s heritage.Younger residents of Stanley have been inspired to discover more about where they are from, exploringsome of the most impactful events in Stanley’s history, including links to the First World War and thetown’s mining disasters.
Christine Thomas, CEO at Building Self Belief, shares the impactit’s had within the community: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the Stanley schools and community on the Celebrating Stanley project. We have all discovered and shared new and exciting stories about the town. I have personal links to Stanley, so this has been a particularly emotional and engaging experience for me, too. There is still a strong community spirit in thetown and this is something that must be encouraged and developed.”
Podcasts featuring local voices, includinga member fromKarbon’s Silver Friendsgroup, have captured personalmemories and reflections. Karbon’s Chief Executive, PaulFiddaman, is from Stanley himself and shared his thoughts on the town’s pride and prospects.
Theprojectjourney has been captured in a documentary film premiered at a community celebration event hoping to spark more conversations through storytellingand educationabout the place they call home.
Over the past nine months Building Self Belief, a local County Durham charity, has engaged generations of Stanley’s residents in a heritage project funded by Karbon Homes. The Celebrating Stanley project has created connections across the community and unlocked the rich history of the former mining town.
Celebrating Stanley’s purpose has been to bring people together, of all ages and backgrounds, through creative projects which develop the local identity. Karbon has supported the project by funding £10,500 to cover community outreach and specialist workshops. Project partners have included North Durham Academy, South Stanley Junior School, Beamish Museum and community groups.
Victoria Keen, Place Strategic Partnership Lead at Karbon, explains: “We have a long-standing relationship with Building Self Belief and it’s been wonderful to support this heritage project. By finding out more about Stanley’s past and sharing stories with residents, we can strengthen the local community of today as part of our place-shaping approach in the town.
“Engaging with a cross representation of the community has highlighted so many often unknown elements of Stanley and this project has created a platform for them to be shared and enjoyed by others, fuelling a wider sense of civic pride.”
Interviews with secondary school students allowed young people of Stanley to have a voice about how their town can be improved. Primary pupils engaged in creative workshops, investigated Stanley’s contribution to the First World War and had an inspiring trip to Beamish Museum. Pupils produced poetry and art for an anthology celebrating Stanley’s heritage. Younger residents of Stanley have been inspired to discover more about where they are from, exploring some of the most impactful events in Stanley’s history, including links to the First World War and the town’s mining disasters.
Christine Thomas, CEO at Building Self Belief, shares the impact it’s had within the community: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with the Stanley schools and community on the Celebrating Stanley project. We have all discovered and shared new and exciting stories about the town. I have personal links to Stanley, so this has been a particularly emotional and engaging experience for me, too. There is still a strong community spirit in the town and this is something that must be encouraged and developed.”
Podcasts featuring local voices, including a member from Karbon’s Silver Friends group, have captured personal memories and reflections. Karbon’s Chief Executive, Paul Fiddaman, is from Stanley himself and shared his thoughts on the town’s pride and prospects.
The project journey has been captured in a documentary film premiered at a community celebration event hoping to spark more conversations through storytelling and education about the place they call home.
Find out more about the project here.
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