2018 Community ProjectsHLF english_compact_cmyk

This year, thanks to its funders, Wimborne History Festival has helped bring the story of the First World War, and the history of the Suffrage Movement, alive through a range of projects with local schools and with an exciting Short Story Competition.

This varied work included a visit by Suffragette Minnie Baldock and (separately!) a mock WW1 trench to QE School in Wimborne, a fresh way of looking at The Great War through music and storytelling by award winning group Harp and a Monkey at both Allenbourn Middle School and Wimborne First School and a performance of local interest play ‘The Gathering’ at QE School.

In the lead up to the Festival 3D modelling artist Darrell Wakelam worked with arts students at QE School to create an emotive triptych depicting 100 years since the war, which was on display at the Allendale Centre over the Festival weekend.  During the weekend Darrell worked with members of the public at the Allendale Centre to create a life size ‘Remembrance Statue’.  This lovely piece will be on display over Remembrance Weekend in November.

Over the Festival weekend children and their parents were also able to make personalised poppies, each visitor made two, one to keep and one to go on a special community wreath, laid on the War Memorial outside the Minster Church at the end of a special Commemoration Service.

As in 2016 the Festival joined forces with the Dorset History Centre to collect people’s family stories of the First World War.  This time these wonderful and emotive Oral Histories were collected in partnership with the Priest’s House Museum.

The Festival would like to thank all the artists as well as the schools, their staff and pupils, for getting involved, it was a delight to work with them and we look forward to more exciting and innovative community and educational projects in the future.

If you have a project, based in the BH21 postcode area, that you would like to suggest please send the details through to the Festival Directors.