Case Study - Our Green Streets

Programme: Your Heritage
Applicant: Patiko Baker’s Fort Project
Grant awarded: £24,600
Project length: 18 months

Our Green Street - printable (MS Word, 929KB)

Summary

Patiko Baker's Fort Project is a youth-focused organisation in Newham. The Our Green Street project explored the diverse and changing history of the Green Street area in East London. Before applying to HLF, young people identified an interest in the street, as they felt it best represented the diversity of their local community. A group of 24 young participants went on to research the area’s heritage and interviewed 15 older residents about their memories and the changes they had witnessed. Their findings were then woven into a performance piece shown to audiences at two community venues. Participants also created an exhibition of photographs showing local heritage sites and people, and comparing contemporary and archival images of Green Street. The project was delivered in partnership with Eastside Community Heritage and Newham’s heritage service. These partners helped the young people to access and explore relevant collections and produce high quality outputs. A steering group involving young people was also formed, ensuring that their interests and ideas were reflected throughout the project.

The aims of the project

The project had three aims:

To inspire and enable young people who may not have considered their local heritage to explore the history of Green Street.
To equip young people with new heritage skills while building on their creative interests.
To produce a performance and exhibition for the benefit of the wider Newham community.

Benefits for heritage

Local people know more about the history of their area, and understand Green Street’s heritage from a youth perspective.
The performance piece was recorded on DVD and will be held by the borough’s archives for future generations to access.
The market on Green Street faces threat of closure. The project captured people’s memories and thoughts about the area, and encouraged people to value their local heritage.

Benefits for people

24 young people aged 13 to 18 took part in the project. Many were from excluded groups, including young people whose first language is not English.
The young people received training in oral history and developed a range of creative and heritage skills.
An audience of 100 people watched the young people’s performance, and many more attended the photography exhibition.
Young people who took part were awarded a Newham Community Volunteering certificate.

Lessons learnt

Involving young people in a range of creative and fun events retained their interest and ensured their commitment throughout the project.
It is important to nurture and support the adults that are involved as volunteers in the project. They provide valuable skills and community connections.
Reviewing and monitoring project timetables is important. Towards the end of the project there was a lot of work to be done in collecting invoices, evaluation and supporting changes to project staff.

Long term benefits

Intergenerational work using oral histories helped to strengthen relationships between different age groups and increase understanding between Newham’s diverse communities.
Resources produced by the project continue to be used. The exhibition toured libraries and community venues after the project ended.

The budget

Main Project Costs	£	Funding	£
Activities (staff, training, overheads)	26,920	Cash from organisation	0
Capital (purchasing computer and performance materials)	1,600	Non-cash contributions	3,880
Total costs	28,520	HLF grant (86%)	24,600

Collection of images of Green Street Market

Green Street Market: the vibrant heart of the community

Sector

Cultures and Memories

Activity

Learning