West Midlands: "Journeys"

Visitors at Kenilworth Castle 'Journeys' was a partnership project with the Well-Being Workshop and SureStart in Balsall Heath, Birmingham in 2004-2005. The group of pre and post-natal mums they work with is very diverse and includes women who have arrived in this country more recently, and are hard to reach, as well as those who belong to more well established ethnic groups.

The project was designed to encourage the women to understand better the history and culture of Britain and recognise the contribution that different communities have been making to the cultural and built environment in which they live. By looking at the history of immigration and the influence that successive new arrivals have had on architectural style within the West Midlands during the last 2000 years, this project sought to give the women a sense of belonging to a shared history and heritage and to see their own place, in the present and also in the future as their own new communities become more established.

Visitors at Kenilworth Castle as part of an outreach project. This project offered these women the experience of visiting buildings of historic and cultural importance outside the immediate area of the SureStart premises. Visits have included a Roman site (Wroxeter), a monastery (Wenlock Priory) a Norman Castle (Kenilworth), a Serbian-Croatian Church, a Burmese Buddhist Peace Pagoda, an Elizabethan house, a cathedral and a Gurdwara.

After the project ended, the Well-Being Workshop and Sure Start continued to take the group to historic properties as part of their activities.

Many women in the group do not venture far from their own community boundaries. Experiencing new places, new cultures, new ideas and perspectives is not only important for their own lives, but also for those of their children. Breaking down the barriers for individuals within the group about how to access historic places in the countryside and new spaces within the City was also important in the project.

The group documented the trips and what they learned about British history and culture through photos and text in personal journals which chart their 'Journeys' of discovery.

This project won a national Surestart Partners in Excellence award.

For more details on the project contact Suzanne Carter, Outreach Manager for the West Midlands on 0121 6256870 or suzanne.carter@english-heritage.org.uk