7 July – 1 September 2021
WANTED: Amazing stories, memories and images of Hillsborough Park, to be included in a community archive, performance and exhibition in the new Age UK Sheffield Coach House Café. Age UK Sheffield are transforming The Old Coach House in Hillsborough Park into a dementia-friendly café.
As part of this project RivelinCo, Ignite Imaginations and Eleven Design are collecting stories, pictures and memories of the park - past and present - to build a new community archive. From today, anyone with a connection to the park can add their own story or memory. Whether you’re local, a former resident, have only visited the park once or twice, or just pass through it for the football – everybody’s contributions are welcome. The community contributions, alongside official historical documents and images, will be used to create a permanent timeline exhibition which will adorn the walls of the new café when it opens, and also to bring the characters from history to life in a brand new performance in the park later in the year.
You can share your own story or information in text or audio format by visiting www.hillsboroughparkive.co.uk and typing or recording your voice. You can also upload images there, like photographs or scans from books. If you’d rather not share online, you can pick up a postcard from Hillsborough Library and drop it into the ‘Parkive Postbox’, designed by local artist Samantha Groom, during library opening hours.
Throughout the summer you will be able to sign up to join live, in-person workshops to share your story, discover the park’s hidden history, and find out more about the Coach House project. You may also notice some free, interactive pop-up events called Story Swap Cafes around the park and high street. And last but not least, those with an appetite for drama will be able to sign up to join the community cast for the performance!
If you’d like to be the first to know when dates for the events are announced, join the Age UK Sheffield Coach House mailing list.
Quote from Steve Chu, Chief Executive at Age UK Sheffield: “When the National Lottery Heritage Fund funded our restoration of the Old Coach House, they also wanted to ensure the heritage of the park and the local area was captured and celebrated. We’re grateful to the Lottery for supporting the Hillsborough Parkive because reminiscence, memories, and story-telling are such an important part of our culture.”
Quote from Linda Bloomfield, Director at RivelinCo: “As a brand new arts organisation, just launched in Hillsborough, we are delighted to be working with Age UK Sheffield on this project which celebrates the heritage of a place many of us visit every day. There is a rich, fascinating history to Hillsborough Park that many people do not know about, and there are also many local people with knowledge beyond the stuff in the ‘official’ archives! We’re so excited to shine a spotlight on this place, and to collaborate with our community to create something we can all be really proud of for years to come.”
Photo credit: Steve Chu
