Oldham Athletic Community Trust kick off their project 'Town and Team' with a launch event this coming Friday (12th August) in the Corner Flag Suite of Boundary Park, Oldham. This is the most recent 'Beyond the School' project and one that I am particularly excited about as it is the first that will be based at a football club. I have believed for a long time that a football or sports club would be ideal for this type of project because sport creates a strong collective memory and can also act as a hook to inspire young people. Having met Dale Newton (the project leader at OACT) and the team when I visited Oldham to deliver some training recently, I am even more enthusiastic about this project and very confident that it will be a great success. I am hopeful that there will be more 'sport-heritage' projects to follow. I asked Dale a few questions about the project in the lead up to the launch:
Beyond the School: Please could you tell me a bit about the project launch and what will be happening at the event?
Dale Newton:
At the Heritage Project Launch we have invited all children who have signed on to participating on the project along with their parents to one of our Executive Boxes. During the event they will participate in the following:
A tour around the Football Stadium.
An introduction and insight into the Heritage Project - (Delivery Staff Members).
A brief introduction around the history of the Club - (Guest Speaker).
A brief introduction around the history of the Town - (Guest Speaker).
Organised team building games - (Delivery Staff and Volunteers).
Two competitions (Individual) to win a T: Shirt from the club with all Club Badges on going back 116 years - (Delivery Staff and Volunteers).
Full buffet and refreshments will be provided throughout the Launch Event.
BTS: What are you going to be doing over the duration of the project and who will be participating?
DN:
During the course of the Heritage Project we will be producing a website with both the history of the Football Club and the Town itself. We will be completing this by the use of set milestones from the last 115 years.
We will be organising guest speakers young and old to come into the session and give the participants history talks on how it was in their days and how things have changed over the period.
Also we will be conducting trips out for the participants to visit local historic sites within their town.
There will be interviews and videos within the local communities with participants again young and old.
All the data collected will then be arranged and placed on the website for people to see once it has gone live.
The final presentation will be to produce a presentation of the project and to develop around 10 mosaics around the history (115 years) of both Team and Town. These will then be displayed in the Local Art Gallery before being moved into the Football Stadium for people to see.
We will also be looking at holding a Heritage Day at the Club for anybody to come in and have a tour and see the presentation.
All participants involved on the project are children from 2 local schools and also people from within the local communities.
BTS: How will the project benefit the young and elderly people involved?
DN: The Project will benefit the young and elderly people of the local communities as it will be bringing both generations together in a relaxed and friendly environment during the talks, interviews and local visits. Also the young participants will be meeting new people during the project on a regular basis from different areas and aspect of the Town/Club.
The young participants will also be gaining knowledge of their local Football Team and of the Town they are living in.
BTS: How will the project benefit local heritage and Oldham Athletic Football Club?
DN: I think this project will help the local heritage of the Town and of the Local Football Club by helping to remove any barriers between different Generations; also participants will be gaining a better knowledge of where they are living.
There will also be the opportunity for the participants to visit local historical places within the Town to which they may never have visited prior to the project.
This project will also educate the participants to appreciate what is around them and it will also give them a sense of achievement once they have produced the final website and presentation.
BTS: Are you going to be working with any other local organisations during the project?
DN: We will be working with various people from within the Football Club and the Local Art Gallery. Also we will be working various people from within the local Communities young and elderly during the project.
We will also be having special guests in to have talks with the participants these will be including supporters of the Football Club and Local Historians of the Town.
More about the project and hopefully some photographs from the event to follow soon....
This project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund's 'Your Heritage' funding stream
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