29
December,
2023
A team of students, volunteers and historians will work together to explore the unique heritage of one of Bournemouth’s most historic areas.
Volunteers are being sought for a new history and heritage project, working alongside final year BA (Hons) History students from Bournemouth University. The team will be working with local grant giving charity Talbot Village Trust to explore and evaluate historical perspectives and human voices from Wallisdown, Talbot Village and Fern Barrow.
Talbot Village Trust is looking to recruit a team of voluntary Community Researchers who’ll be interested in gathering local oral histories from stakeholders across the local area. The Community Researchers will be trained by staff from Dorset Council’s Dorset History Centre in late January.
Dr Ieuan Franklin, Lecturer in History and Politics at Bournemouth University will lead the students working on the project, alongside Course Leader Dr Kate Terkanian. Ieuan said: “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Talbot Village Trust to develop this unique community history project, examining Wallisdown’s unique heritage.
“For our students, this is an exploration of oral histories through stories told by people who have a strong human connection to the area and whose families in many cases trace back generations to the founding of Bournemouth. The students will curate the recordings and create an exhibition, sharing our findings with the wider community.”
Martha Searle, Community and Engagement Lead at Talbot Village Trust, said: “Talbot Village Trust is a charity that supports great local causes across the area, but we’re a local landowner too. Through our grant giving, the conservation village, and our land in Wallisdown, our core purpose is to help people to live well.
“Our history project brings together members of our community to reflect and look back upon the deep human connections and shared histories that make Wallisdown unique and special, and the impact that this sense has on people’s lives today.”
The oral histories will be gathered by the volunteer team, before being worked on and assembled by Bournemouth University and the Dorset History Centre. An exhibition will then be held locally in May 2024.
Interested volunteers should be able to join the project with spare time between January and May 2024, and should be prepared to join a trip to Dorchester to work with staff from the Dorset History Centre.
Interested volunteers should contact Martha directly at martha@talbotvillagetrust.org.
