Community histories at archiving roadshow

YOUNG and old joined forces to explore Plymouth's history at a special community roadshow.

The pilot archiving project, called Plymouth DNA, was held at Stoke Damerel Community College, attracting members of the public, teachers, pupils and families.

Project developer Dawn Melville said she had been working with the school on the pilot, which is being funded by South West Screen, an agency that provides film locations, crew and services for films, TV, photoshoots and advertising.

"The idea is to get young people to explore what's in their community – the hidden photos in shoe boxes, photo albums and home movies," Dawn explained.

"There are a lot of archives in the community that haven't been found yet."

She said the pilot had seen the team visit old people's homes, and at the roadshow Plymouth historian Harry Bennett and Stacey Dyer, of the South West Image Bank, were on hand to utilise their expert knowledge.

Dawn said the group is thinking about taking the roadshows into the community in future.

Anyone who wants to get involved in the project can contact her on dawn@motiongrafik.com or on 07876 365210.