A Big Moment to combat isolation

As we moved in to November, an inspiring project working with older people received £545,555 for a new pilot to explore the history of their communities.

Historypin will be running projects across Norfolk, Tyne and Wear and Leeds to bring together different generations and cultures for local events to share and record memories. Historypin is working with libraries, museums and voluntary organisations as part of their work to reduce isolation in older people and offer digital skills training.

A wealth of material including photographs, documents, sounds and films will create a rich tapestry of sounds and films to trigger memories; while volunteers will collate the stories for all to see online.

Breandán Knowlton, Executive Director of Historypin, told us more about their Big Moment:

“Our towns and cities are built of stories — so what do you find when you peel back the layers of Leeds, Newcastle or Norfolk?

“We’re excited to be reaching out to some of the most experienced and knowledgeable citizens in these areas to really dive deep into local history. Working with the libraries and museums who already connect so much community activity, we’re scaling out a new approach to collecting, describing and celebrating heritage, connecting to the local experts most at risk of becoming socially isolated.

“In 2015 we began to put these partnerships in place, connecting to everyone from the Royal Voluntary Service to Age UK to bring people together and co-design a facilitated programme of one-to-one and group heritage explorations. In 2016 we’ll start to use the historypin.org digital platform to weave these threads of family and places into some truly rich storytelling, and build up personal and vibrant resources for local history and genealogy.”

With just one day left, make sure you’ve let us know what your Big Moment of 2015 has been. You can join in with the discussion and share your Big Moment using our hashtag #BigMoment on Twitter and Facebook.