Droitwich history project gets funding boost (From Worcester News)

Droitwich history project gets funding boost

2:40pm Thursday 14th March 2013 in News

A PROJECT to create a history archive for Droitwich Spa has been given a £10,000 funding boost.

Members of the Friends of Our Droitwich group are celebrating after the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The project to record the stories and memories of Droitwich residents who’ve witnessed the massive expansion of the town since the late 1950s can now go ahead.

The team of volunteers running the Our Droitwich project is now looking for people to come forward and tell their stories. They want to hear what it’s been like to live in a town with a population that has risen from 6,000 to 26,000 in just 50 years. The team wants to gather memories from people who can remember when Chawson and Westlands were just fields and the current library was the town’s cinema.

Project treasurer, Councillor Roy Seabourne, said: “We know a lot about the town’s earlier salt and spa history but much less about this relatively recent period of rapid social change and how it affected the lives of existing residents and incomers. We want people to come forward and tell it how it was – good and bad.”

Anyone who can remember what Droitwich was like in the early 50s, or if they were involved in the town council’s decision making during this period, is being urged to get in touch. The group would also like to hear from anyone who moved to Droitwich between 1959 and the late 1970s.

Anyone with stories to tell or photos to contribute should contact Sue Broome on 01299 251512. The grant will also enable the project to take on more volunteers.

An information event will be held on Wednesday, April 17 in the gallery room at Droitwich Library, Victoria Square, from 10am – noon.