East Midlands: "Making Tracks"

Families taking photos on the walk from Corby to Kirby Hall. 'Making tracks' was a photographic project which linked Kirby Hall with the nearby former steel town of Corby. It aimed to develop positive relationships between residents of Corby and their local historic built environment. Over 6 sessions, local families walked from Corby to Kirby Hall taking digital photographs of buildings and the changing landscape along the way. 26 people aged from 9 to over 50 took part in the sessions led by Corby Community Arts.

One mother who took part said she had gained:

“Enjoyment, confidence, increased self-esteem.  Seeing my daughter & niece become interested in photography and looking at their environment differently.” Young photographer on the walk between Corby and Kirby Hall. 

A selection of their images formed an exhibition which was launched over Heritage Open Days weekend 2004 at Kirby Hall. The exhibition also included aerial photographs of the area from the National Monuments Record which showed the changing landscape over time, which had been the initial inspiration for the project.

Accessible minibuses were laid on over the weekend to bring people from Corby and the surrounding areas who had difficulty accessing transport to the EH property. The exhibition has since been seen by hundreds of people in the Willow Arts Centre in Corby.