Local history cafe to start at Glenfield Hospital
GLENFIELD Hospital is to start hosting a weekly local history cafe to allow people to get together and chat about heritage and meet people.
Local History Cafes are monthly heritage and wellbeing get-togethers for local residents ages 50 and over experiencing, or at risk of social isolation and loneliness.
The cafes create a time for socialising, a speaker based on group interests, an activity and of course refreshments.
Crafting Relationships (formerly Beauty and Utility Arts), the Leicestershire based social enterprise behind the project, will be working in partnership with Arts and Heritage team at Leicester’s Hospitals to explore the trust’s fascinating collection of art, archives and artefacts that tell the 200 year story of healthcare in Leicestershire. Participants will bring with them a wealth of stories, information and connections of their own.
Katherine Brown, Director of Crafting Relationships said: “Local History Cafes offer an enjoyable way for members of the community to get together with others interested in history and heritage in a supportive environment. Sharing of information works both ways, and there have been many ‘aha’ moments at existing cafes when someone has provided a missing piece of an information jigsaw. There are many, many different reasons someone may be feeling lonely and we want people to know they are very welcome to join us.”
Local History Cafe at Glenfield Hospital starts on Friday October 19 from 10.30am to 12.30pm and runs weekly until January 2019. There is a charge of £3 per person, per cafe, and places must be booked by emailing artsandherit- ageatuhl@uhl-tr.nhs.uk or telephoning 0116 258 3957. There is some funding for transport for anyone needing help getting there and back, available on a first come, first served basis.
Sallie Varnam, Arts and Heritage Development Officer at Leicester’s Hospitals is looking forward to their first Local History Café.
She said: “We are excited about sharing our extensive and fascinating collection with older people in the local community and seeing the impact of engaging with heritage has on wellbeing. This is a great opportunity for the Arts and Heritage programme to engage with people and the ethos of the programme underpins what we are trying to achieve through all of our work.”
The roll out of Local History Cafes in the East Midlands has been made possible by funding from Museum Development East Midlands, who support the improvement and sustainability of museums and heritage sites around the region. With the additional support of a number of other smaller funders, there are now eight Local History Cafes across the East and West Midlands.