Origins of this site

Site management training session, March 2007. From L clockwise - Bob Sparham, Jerry Weber (MLA East Midlands), Norman Robinson, Jack Latimer (Community Sites).

Photo by Catherine Pugh, 2007

Launched in 2007

This is the website of the Bottesford 'Living History' Community Heritage Project, a Local Heritage Initiative project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Nationwide Building Society.

The idea

Under its working title "Bottesford Living History", the project aims to assemble an archive of oral history, photographs, maps and written material. This will be accessible in a variety of ways, as described below. It will be conserved at Melton Mowbray's Carnegie Museum and the Leicestershire Public Records Office, with copies deposited at the public libraries of Bottesford and Melton Mowbray, and also at local schools. Another copy will also be kept by the Bottesford Local History Society, our parent body.

Our collective 'folk memory' is vital in keeping hold of where we come from and understanding where we are now. Villages and their way of life have changed enormously within living memory. This is live communal history, vivid and fascinating.

The project aims to include:

• Oral recordings of the memories of at least 15 local people on the theme "Bottesford and Muston in the Twentieth Century".
• Assemble a collection of digital copies of historic photographs.
• Gather other records that help build up a picture of past village life.
• Make a record of the parish as it is today.
• Put all this together as a printed and CD/DVD archive. Project materials will also be accessible via this website and selected mateial will be placed with the
• 'leicestershirevillages' website (supported by Leicestershire County Council).
• A set of discovery trail leaflets and organized walks. A booklet on village life in the Vale of Belvoir.
• A biannual project newsletter.
• Public talks.
• An audio-visual exhibition and stand at the village show.
• Drama event: we hope to recreate the village school of yesteryear with present day youngsters and evergreens.

Participation

We wish to encourage the widest participation by village people and others that have something to contribute about villages and village life past and present. You can add your information and comments directly to this website. Alternatively, contact us and join the project group. For more information go to Contributing to this site.

Finishing Date

This was to be 31 September 08, but let's face, we are still going strong!