S E T A R B HLF CELE ! S R A E Y C I T S A T N A F 15 e th om fr le op pe g un yo t ha w at ok Take a lo … to up g in tt ge en be ve ha t as E th or N This year the HLF celebrate its 15th Anniversary. To mark this special occasion there will be events and celebrations happening all across the country. The North East will be investigating 15 of their best projects that have happened over the past 15 years. This is your chance to have a look at how lottery player’s money has made a difference in your area. The Heritage Lottery Fund has long been committed to working with young people and have so far invested over £1 million to almost 50 Young Roots projects that have benefitted children and young people in the North East . Last year we ran the hugely successful Portrait of a Nation campaign. It was one of the biggest youth events in the country with young people from 17 cities across the UK showcasing their heritage, culture and identity. The North East group working closely with Tyneside Cinema and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, created a series of short films showing the hidden history of the North East and what it meant to them to come from the region.
“IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO GET INVOLVED, IT HAS LED TO OTHER THINGS. I AM CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN VOLUNTEERING AT THE YMCA CHARITY SHOP AND I AM A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE.” We do not define heritage. We listen to people, letting them tell us what is important to them about their past and what they would like to see saved for the future. We believe that it is important to engage young people in particular in exploring their roots and opening up their past. Being involved in a heritage project can lead to many opportunities including volunteering and future job prospects. Heritage can be anything, from restoring magnificent historic buildings to refurbishing your favourite parks, to smaller projects that enable people to uncover the mysteries of their pasts. In this issue, we want to show you how truly diverse our heritage funding is and take a look at some of the best youth led projects in the region that have happened over the last few years. Often these stories can be applied to the present, enabling us to learn more about the society we live in today.
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WILLIAM JOBLING – TH LOCAL HISTORY
Finding out about your local history can be as useful as it is fascinating, and it can help you really understand where you come from. In Jarrow, Durham, a group of young people from local schools, interested in finding out about the history of their town, uncovered the grisly story of William Jobling who murdered a colliery owner and local magistrate called Nicholas Fairles in 1832. William, a miner, was hanged for the crime. Delving into the local law and living conditions of the 1800’s, the group researched corporal punishment focusing on the gruesome act of hanging and gibbeting. After the hanging Williams body was loaded into a cart and toured around the area before arriving at Jarrow Slake where the crime had been committed to be put into an iron gibbet cage. The cage was used to show other would be criminals the price they would pay if they were to be caught. The bodies would hang in the cage for days, sometimes weeks and in some cases bodies would be left until their clothes rotted or even until the bodies were almost completely decomposed, after which the bones would be scattered. Whilst uncovering this fascinating story, the young people who took part had the opportunity to chair meetings, improve their communication, literacy and team work skills.
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