Strike a Light was mentioned in a recent edition of care home Hyman Fine House in-house magazine about our Mazel Tov Brighton project.
The project celebrated links between Judaism and Brighton and Hove lives with residents of the Jewish Care charity run home Hyman Fine House. You can read the full magazine here!
We’re pleased to have been commissioned to make a wreath for The Unremembered project in Hastings and St Leonards.
This is with the Big Ideas Company to develop activities with local community groups to explore the history of the Labour Corps – service personnel during World War I, and often forgotten in this part of history.
We’re pleased to have been commissioned to become a hub in Brighton and Hove by the Big Ideas Company to develop activities with local community groups to explore the history of the Labour Corps – service personnel during World War I, and often forgotten in this part of history.
The Unremembered project background:
This project is about the Labour Corps – Service Personnel in the British Army who have essentially been pretty forgotten and aren’t really commemorated anywhere. The aim is to raise the profile of the Labour Corps and share this learning with community groups.
Who were the Labour Corps?
Image: Collection of John Sheen author of histories of the Northumberland Fusiliers and Durham Light Infantry.
The Labour Corps supplied the army with weapons and ammunition, food and fodder, water and fuel. They built and maintained roads and railways. They were essential to the war effort.
British and Allied Forces struggled to cope with the demand for manpower after the huge losses of men during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. From January 1917, manpower was drawn from the UK, China, India, South Africa, Egypt, Canada, the Caribbean and many other places within the British Empire.
Tens of thousands travelled thousands of miles to defend freedom and although they rarely saw service in the frontline, many died or were seriously injured. Today their contributions and sacrifice are all but forgotten. They are The Unremembered.
Events:
Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage will deliver workshops in October and November 2018 in Brighton and Hove with ten different groups in ten different venues across Brighton and Hove to look at the theme of The Unremembered and to commemorate the Labour Corps service personnel and their experiences.
We will do this through engaging with freelancers and volunteers to deliver a series of history and resource led activities which focus on the art of making articulated paper puppets (a common past time a centenary ago) with community groups and families.
These puppets will be a mixture of pre-printed on cardboard outline templates which can then be designed, created and compiled by participants and for those with dexterity issues or the very young, pre-designed printed templates which can be assembled with support and displayed. We will use fabric scraps, wrapping paper and wall paper to create overlaid uniforms for these puppets and to bring them to life.
We will also create activities to create dressing paper dolls, so creating the one dimensional paper dolls through templates which are cut out and then one dimensional clothing made relevant to our theme which can then be folded over the puppet body. These dolls were popular during WWI and were still printed then despite paper shortages.
Both these forms of puppet making are ideal for classroom and community projects because they are made with everyday craft supplies and reused materials.
The puppet theme for this project is two-fold – one that it is an engaging and accessible way to teach young people and community groups who are unaware of this lost period of history about the Labour Corps, and secondly that the puppets can be seen as a metaphor for the role of the Labour Corps in terms of having no control over their work or location, that they were moved around like mules and essentially treated as such too. This will be a way to valorise those men and celebrate their role.
This will help to remember some of the soldiers who served with the Labour Corps and their link with Sussex and draw this forgotten history into the light.
This one day reminiscence training course based at Strike a Light’s studio in Brighton takes place on Wednesday 20th June 2018 (10am-4pm).
‘Lots of ideas to go away and research – good to meet others and share experiences and ideas. I feel more confident to go away and plan some reminiscence activities. I have more insight into the benefits and what’s involved’. Reminiscence Course participant
It offers an overview of reminiscence work, including the background to the subject and will consider the benefits to be derived by both the people who reminisce and those who listen. We will explore a wide variety of reminiscence activities, which can be used to trigger personal memories and help a group to work well together.
By the end of the course, participants will have gained insight into what reminiscence is as a structured activity, and how it can be successfully and productively carried out.
The training day will offer a more expanded exploration of reminiscence work. It will include a detailed background to the subject and consider the benefits to be derived by both the people who reminisce and those who listen.
We will explore a wide variety of reminiscence activities, which can be used to trigger personal memories and help a group to work well together.
The day will include opportunities for the group to experience reminiscence activities, and group members will be encouraged throughout to contribute their own experience and ideas.
By the end of the training, participants will have gained insight into what reminiscence is as a structured activity, and how it can be successfully and productively carried out.
A free training pack with resources for each participant is provided as part of the course.
BENEFITS OF REMINISCENCE
Stimulates social interaction and communication
Reduces the feeling of isolation
Shares and captures family and local history
Increases feeling of self-worth
Helps keep the mind stimulated
Allows participants to reflect on past and present
An enjoyable experience
Builds confidence
Generates community and support
PARTICIPANT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Share ideas with training group
Use resources, photos and artefacts in reminiscence delivery
Increased confidence in delivery of activities
Group working skills
Awareness of the effects of dementia
Booking:
Complete the One Day Reminiscence Course Booking – Strike a Light 2018 and send payment to attend the course or email: strikealight@rocketmail.com for a copy of the booking form to book the course.
https://www.facebook.com/events/885729284938870/
If you have further queries, call 07727 006538
Course fee:
£85 (Group/organisation rate – per person) for one day training / £60 individuals
Payment:
Cheques payable to: Strike a Light and sent to Studio 8, Open Market, Marshalls Row, Brighton BN1 4JU
Bacs Transfer to Strike a Light: The Cooperative Bank – Sort Code: 089299 Account Number: 65447093
Please return completed form to:
Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage, Studio 8, Open Market, Marshalls Row, Brighton BN1 4JU or email: strikealight@rocketmail.com
Activities:
We will deliver six creative drop-in workshops at St Peter’s on the following dates: 31st May, 24th June (Preston Village Day), 14thJuly, 31st July, 16th Aug, 8th September. Each workshop will run from 11-4pm, though the timings for 24th June, Preston Village Day, are still to be finalised.
Each workshop will focus on one core creative activity, with some simpler and/or quicker activities running alongside. The activities to be delivered at each workshop will each respond to some element of the church’s interior, exterior or history, or the creative processes embodied within the building, including stencilling, repetitive patterns, print making, mosaics, etc.
Strike a Light – Arts & Heritage activities will include:
All welcome, and especially families with children up to the age of around 11. However both older/younger children can attend and the range of activities will cater for this.
Children will remain the responsibility of their parents/carers and will not be left in the care of Strike a Light.
Adult Workshop:
One of our event days on Saturday 14th July, is intended to be an adult-focussed activity and will encourage adults to try new things, so this particular date isn’t open to children.
Strike a Light will be working alongside Hare and Humphreys, the conservators who will be undertaking the conservation of the chancel. Hare and Humphreys start work in late-May and from that time on parts of the chancel will be covered with scaffolding, obscuring some of the stencilling.
ONE DAY COURSE – 10:00 – 16:00Two Day Reminiscence Training Course – 10:00 – 16:00 (Both days)The training days will offer a more expanded exploration of reminiscence work. It will include a detailed background to the subject and consider the benefits to be derived by both the people who reminisce and those who listen.
We will explore a wide variety of reminiscence activities, which can be used to trigger personal memories and help a group to work well together.
We will also consider the dividing lines between the role of a reminiscence facilitator and that of a counsellor/therapist along with the ethical issues that throws up.
The two days will be interspersed with opportunities for the group to experience reminiscence activities, and group members will be encouraged throughout to contribute their own experience and ideas.
By the end of the training, participants will have gained insight into what reminiscence is as a structured activity, and how it can be successfully and productively carried out.
A free training pack with resources for each participant is provided as part of the course
********************
BENEFITS OF REMINISCENCE
| ● | Stimulates social interaction and communication |
| ● | Reduces the feeling of isolation |
| ● | Shares and captures family and local history |
| ● | Increases the feeling of self-worth |
| ● | Helps keep the mind stimulated |
| ● | Allows participants to reflect on past and present |
| ● | An enjoyable experience |
| ● | Builds confidence |
| ● | Generates community and support |
PARTICIPANT LEARNING OUTCOMES
| ● | Share ideas with training group |
| ● | Use resources, photos and artefacts in reminiscence delivery |
| ● | Increased confidence in delivery of activities |
| ● | Group working skills |
| ● | Awareness of the effects of dementia |
Please email: strikealight@rocketmail.com or call 07727 006538 to book a session.
An exhibition of 80 light boxes in 65 windows throughout Lewes, 1916: Lewes Remembers will show work from the years of the First World War by Benjamin Reeves, grandfather of the present Reeves owner Tom Reeves.
Free Research Training!
** If you would like to get involved with The Orange Lilies project as a participant or volunteer, or have memories or artefacts about The Battle of Boar’s Head, or Brighton and Hove memories of the Somme, then please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you! **
If you’re interested in WWI history related to Brighton and Hove, family history, local research, or working on creative projects with young people, then do get in touch. We’d love to have you involved in this exciting new project.
We’re currently seeking Volunteer Archive Researchers to support knowledge and history throughout this project. If you’re interested in getting involved then do get in touch. Training will be given.
The project focuses on the city’s legacy of the Somme and a significant event on the eve of this (where huge numbers of Brighton soldiers fell), The Battle of Boar’s Head (also known as The Day that Sussex Died), as a key part of WWI, and its’ subsequent impact on Brighton and Hove.
Visit our The Orange Lilies project website here, get in touch and share family history, join in and receive training as a volunteer researcher and attend activities, events and films, all commemorating the city in the Somme.
Email: theorangelilies@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you soon.
With thanks to Mary Funnell and Patricia Field for permission to use the above images.
https://theorangelilies.wordpress.com/get-involved/
Many of the letters collected here are eloquent declarations of love and longing; others contain wrenching accounts of fear, jealousy and betrayal; and a number share sweet dreams of home.
QueenSpark Books is seeking a volunteer to develop its social media presence and content. We are seeking a self-motivated individual who can spare up to 5 hours per week, for three months, developing ideas, content and traffic for QueenSpark’s Twitter and Facebook accounts.
You will work in collaboration with QueenSpark’s Development Director and Administrator in order to identify the broad content of your role; for this next period, it is anticipated that the majority of your work will be promoting QueenSpark’s forthcoming publication, Brighton’s Graphic War.
You will be able to work from home, although we have office space if required.
Please note: This is a rolling programme, so a new volunteer will be recruited every three months. The role is unpaid, although reasonable expenses will be covered. Ongoing references following your three-month engagement will be provided.
Please send an expression of interest outlining your skills and availability to admin@queensparkbooks.org.ukby Wednesday 28th September. Please indicate whether, if you are not selected for this three months, you might be interested in the role at a later date.
