7th September 2017
Dreadnought South West Press release:
Dreadnought South West wins National Lottery support for the Rebellious Sounds Archive of oral histories about women and their activism.
Dreadnought South West are thrilled to announce that we have received £60,000 from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project; the Rebellious Sounds Archive of oral histories about women and their activism, in the South West region. Made possible by National Lottery players, the project focuses on creating a new community archive of stories that will take the shape of a mobile listening booth, built like a voting booth, so it can tour the region to gather, record and share these oral histories by women.
The project will enable women’s voices to be heard in an exciting new way. Touring across the South West, the listening booth will work with Museum’s, community venues and organisations. Providing inclusive and accessible opportunities and activities to contribute, participate, volunteer, and learn more about our rich heritage of women who have contributed to activism in the region over the past one hundred years. The collection will seek stories by older women, particularly those who were at Greenham Common, women from BAME backgrounds, LGBTQ women, Disabled women, and women who have addressed legislative change within the workplace.
Dreadnought South West is an organisation that works with women and girls, but not exclusively, to discover and share stories about women to reveal their significant contributions to our heritage. 2018 is the centenary year of the very first votes for some women in 1918, and so it is timely for a project like to be able to look back into this rich heritage of women’s activism, whilst representing the diversity of women’s activism in the Twenty-First Century through a contemporary collection.
Dreadnought South West Co-Director, Natalie McGrath said: "We are indebted to players of the National Lottery for this support. This project would not be possible without them. It will forefront and share a new wave of stories about the achievements and contributions of women in society, now and long into the future."
Nerys Watts, Head of HLF South West, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the voices of women and the stories they have to tell of struggles, change and success are being heard loud and clear. We’re delighted to support this creative project which will not only make a century of heritage available to audiences across the South West but also enable everyone to add their own voices to a living and evolving archive.”
About Dreadnought South West
Dreadnought South West creates inclusive projects through bold, high-quality arts and heritage work that inspires, educates and raises awareness throughout the South West and beyond by telling great stories about women from both an historical and modern day perspective. These include live theatre events, heritage work, community radio broadcasts, collaborating with communities, artists, historians, individuals and groups to engage with previously untold stories about women. Our first major project ‘Oxygen’, told the previously unknown story of the women who walked from Land’s End to Hyde Park in 1913, demanding their right to vote, as part of the great women’s suffrage pilgrimage. Engaging over 6,500 people with this story that continues to be shared and told.
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery
Further Information
Please contact Dreadnought South West’s Co-Director Natalie McGrath for further information – 0798 8647420 / natalie.dreadnoughtsw@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter: @DreadnoughtSW and Facebook
Click here to download and view a PDF copy of this press release
Dreadnought South West Charity Commission No: 1170038