This project started when a group of young people popped into the Trues Yard museum and the photographs and other items sparked their interest, one of the young people who had been a member at the Discovery Centre suggested they approached the staff to see if we could run a project on the history of the fishing community. Two young people were tasked by their peers to lead the way with the bid and they worked along side Discovery staff to put forward and agree ideas to take the project forward.
These two young people attended a HLF surgery in Cambridge in November 2010, an experience they found very helpful in channelling their thoughts.
Our project focuses upon the Community of North End and its long standing fishing community, situated in the town of King's Lynn which was a very important port in its time, after research and discussion the young people will put together a DVD, photographic display and art displays that help people learn about their own and other peoples heritage, ensuring that stories from the heritage of the North End fishing community are past down through the generations and archived.
North End A Voyage of Discovery will engage young people in exploring an area steeped in heritage to bring together a community that comprises of people of different backgrounds and Nationalities to celebrate its proud past.
The main topics which the young people have decided to research are
Boat building, rituals (blessing of the nets) diet (harvesting the sea, local family tree tracing back 400 years, Sea shanties (Vaughn Williams) and Now and Then - how things have changed.
The young people will be given the opportunity to learn new skills i.e. research, boat building techniques, net making, wicker work, art and craft (shell art) water colours, sketching, interview skills, cooking, foraging, drama, film making, film editing, rope splicing, internet skills, website design and updating.
We feel the activities we have planned will pull together all generations to explore the past and through film, photos, craft and art make heritage information available for future generations.
- To explore and document the heritage of the North End Fishing Community
- To engage local/migrant young people in activities of a historic and creative nature.
- To provide a series of professionally led workshops that teach the young people the skills they need to complete the project
- To raise the self esteem of young people by empowering them to lead the project
- To offer opportunities to be part of a project/activities that they would normally not get access to.
- To arrange trips that give the young people an insight into the lives of families from the North End Fishing community
- To meet with and interview older members of the community and record their stories
- To create a DVD, photographic and art displays from the research carried out to be diplayed at museum, corn exchange and distributed to local schools
- To bring the whole community together during the screening to celebrate their heritage
Benefits to young people
Fishing Community and the importance in preserving it for future generations.
Through professionally led workshops they will gain the following skills, knowledge & experience.
1)Research techniques which include using the internet and reference books.
2)Oral history interview techniques
3)Respect for the older generation and the part they played in the history of the community/industry.
4)Design and updating of a website.
5)Boat building techniques including copper nailing clinker style boats.
6)Planning and building models to scale.
7)Sketching and painting in water colours
9)Respect by attending customs i.e. the blessing of the nets at St Nicholas Chapel.
10)Foraging i.e. harvesting the sea – cockles, samphire, shrimps, crabs and seaweed.
11)Cooking both at the beach and at the Centre and taking into the community to engage the older generations.
12)Researching into the family tree of a local family using records from Trues Yard.
13)Story boarding events to be recreated on film.
14)Drama to help the reconstruction of events from the history of the fishing community
15)Film making and editing
16)Song writing and music composing for the creation of their own shanty.
17)Art and craft techniques i.e. shell art. Fishermans valentine etc
18)Project planning for workshops.
20)Planning of trips and visits.
21)Planning of the exhibition and public screening and Distribution to schools.
22)Evaluation of project
23)Leadership and peer mentoring.
24)Communication through dealing with the public and agencies involved.
25)Raised self esteem and confidence through their participation in the project.