SharingS STories: Wartime Memories PROJECT
The Sharing Stories Group's recollections of schooldays, of rationing, even of being bombed, are crystal clear. We recorded our memories in a project called "Wartime Memories" and shaped them into an exhibition to which local schools were invited.
"It's vital to pass the memories on, so that the children get a feeling for their heritage," said Carole Sharp, one of the organisers.
In the past, similar projects have given rise to memorable exhibitions and booklets about School Days and the history of the local area, but now there is a whole new generation of children to be reminded of the joys and tribulations of being a child seventy years ago.
Although we're talking about a trying time in our history, we have quite a laugh and sometimes, it gets so animated that we're all talking at once. Artefacts from World War II certainly provoke a reaction: "Some of us have old gas masks in our attics and one or two of us still have air-raid shelters in our gardens," commented Dilys Hudson, a regular participant.
The project was judged to be so valuable that the Government-run Transformation Fund awarded it a £4000 grant to cover expenses. The very first purchase was a digital tape recorder to capture all those amazing memories.