New Projects for History in the Making
Following an open callout in May 2024, we’re currently funding 21 fantastic new projects across the country. Projects include new murals in the Byker Wall estate in Newcastle, a podcast about a mosque in Newham and an AR trail exploring the queer histories of King’s Lynn. Find out more about these projects below.
East Midlands
Peace and Togetherness - Artcore
Derby
50 years ago, Derby was twinned with Osnabrück to promote peace and engage young people in creating positive future. This project will work with new migrants and disadvantaged young people to explore themes of peace and togetherness in the face of contemporary conflict, fear and isolation. It will create a place marker at Artcore on Osnabrück Square.
New Parks in the Making - Soft Touch Arts
Leicester
The New Parks council estate is one of Leicester’s most deprived communities and its history has largely gone unexplored. This much-needed project will celebrate community histories as chosen and researched by local young people. Their findings will create a local place marker co-produced and co-commissioned with the young people themselves.
West Midlands
Pride in the Moorlands - Outside arts
Moorlands
LGBTQIA+ young people in the rural Staffordshire Moorlands are often very isolated. This project will bring them together to explore local queer history. The young people will work with an artist to co-create a place maker celebrating the stories they want to commemorate. This will be unveiled at the first Pride event in the area, co-produced by the young people.
Echoes of Aston Hall and Park: Unveiling Community Heritage Through Creative Arts - Saathi House
Birmingham
For local migrants, Aston Hall serves as a connection point. Young people will explore the history of Aston Hall and Park in relation to local migrant communities. Through doing this, participants will be empowered to define histories that are relevant to them.
Our Home, Our Stories - The Mighty Creatives
Staffordshire Moorlands
This project will work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to build a sense of connection to the new land they find themselves in. Though exploring the heritage and historical significance of the Staffordshire Moors, this project seeks to develop a sense of belonging and connection to the area. The place marker will be led by the young people and created by a local artist.
North East
Uncovering Hidden Histories: Voices of the North East LGBTQ+ Community - Digital Voice for Communities
Gateshead
Young people are at the heart of leading an exploration of LGBTQIA+ history in Gateshead. After workshops and taster sessions focussing on history and a range of creative practices, the young people will design plaques that connect to the content and stories they’ve created.
Renewal: Byker's bold past and bright future - Karbon Homes
Newcastle
Young people from the Byker estate will explore the origins of this ground-breaking development and consider how the past can inform the estate’s future. Their findings will create a new mural and shutter designs on community-run buildings at the heart of the estate.
Bradford *Part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture*
Manningham Heritage Project - BEAP Community Partnership
In this project, young people will explore local Bangladeshi heritage. They’ll work with local artists and craftspeople to create place markers incorporating elements of Bangladeshi culture, art, language and traditions.
Multi-sensory accessible place marker for the Shipley Glen Tramway - Moor Time
Young people with additional needs from across the Bradford district will explore the social history around the oldest cable tramway in Britain. Their findings will create a fully accessible, multi-sensory place marker to celebrate these histories.
Summat Creative - Summat Creative CIC
This project focusses on the overlooked history of people with Learning Disabilities who worked in Bradford’s mills in the 1800s and 1900s. After historical research and creative exploration, Learning Disabled young people will help create a model of a mill and fill it with their own creative responses to the stories they’ve unearthed.
Shared Stories 2025 - Allstar Ents Limited
Shared Stories celebrates musical and cultural histories across the Bradford district. Young people will conduct interviews and research before creating their own musical and audio responses. These new works will be shared via QR codes around the local area.
North West
Canal to Garden: Unearthing Greater Manchester's Green Heritage - Become United
Rochdale
Canal to Garden will engage young people in Greater Manchester to uncover and celebrate the hidden history of local canals and flora through hands-on gardening, historical research, and creative expression. It will result in a heritage garden that tells the story of our local environment.
Whitaker Park: Sounds of the Past - The Whitaker
Rawtenstall
Whitaker Park and was once known for sound and music, but its bandstands are now silent. This project seeks to bring the music back. Young people will be paid to work with a curator to uncover these histories before creating sound-based responses. QR codes in the park will link to these new soundscapes.
The Hidden Histories of St Helens - YMCA St Helens
St Helens
Young people will research and create a heritage trail of St Helens working with art historical partners. They’ll then use their findings to curate a mural and new interpretation on their building.
DELVE - Stockroom
Stockport
Local young people will delve into the LGBTQIA+ history of Stockport. What this project ultimately creates is very much in the hands of the young people and yet to be decided, but they’re exploring creating a ‘queer map’ of the area or producing a mural.
East of England
Queer Histories of Lynn - Collusion
King's Lynn
Young people will create an AR trail through King’s Lynn centre exploring the queer histories of the town. This will connect to a permanent artwork created in partnership with True’s Yard. What form this artwork takes will be in the hands of the young people.
Positive Notes - Metal Culture
Peterborough
Peterborough has been perceived as lacking a distinct identity and has been described as the ‘worst place to live’. This project seeks to create a deeper connection to local cultural history by creating an art trail across the town. Words and artwork will appear across the city to spark dialogue and celebrate the overlooked histories of underrepresented young people.
Hidden Histories: Breaking the Silence around mental health through the decades - Norfolk Museums Service
Great Yarmouth
Young people will explore historical experiences of mental health inspired by local museum and archive collections. Creative workshops will help young people to create a piece of public art inspired by their research and their own lived experience.
South East & London
Platform Panel Project - ExploreTheArch
St Leonards-on-sea
A truly diverse team of early career young creatives is at the heart of this project. They’ll be creating new panels for station platforms in St Leonards that respond to local history alongside zines and audio interpretation.
On the Map (Marking the History of Masjid Ibrahim) - Immediate Theatre
Newham, London
The young people at Masjid Ibrahim in Newham want to explore and document the history of their mosque and the people connected to it. They will interview community elders and create a series of podcasts and video reels. Young people will commemorate their work physically through a mural at the masjid, which will act as a portal to the digital content created.
The History of the Place We Call Home - Landport Community Hub
Lewes
Young people on a council state on the edge of Lewes want to find out more about a historic building on their estate. Through interviewing older people on the estate, they’ll explore their own history before creating a film and a place marker on the estate celebrating their findings.
Contact us
For any queries about History in the Making or future rounds, please contact-
Email
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