The 'Here To Stay' Project

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund the Leeds Black Elders Association's 'Here To Stay Project'(HTS) is an oral history initiative which seeks to capture and preserve the memories and experiences of African and African Caribbean elders in Leeds. It focuses on their life’s before and after they came to Britain in the 1940’s and onwards, and the contributions which they have made in society.

Projects Activities:
Recording the Elders’ Histories one to one interviews are conducted by a trained interviewer. The interview is recorded on a DVD and transcribed and then given to the elders and on the elders permission it will be archived.

Archiving is an important element of our services. The Project will encourage and actively request copies or originals of items such as documents, photos, posters of events etc which are significant to the history of Black people in Leeds since the 1940’s. This will be displayed for the community in public archives such as the West Yorkshire Archive Service, Yorkshire Film Archive and through the Library Service for the benefit of a wider audience.

Going into schools and organisations is also part of the projects activities which links with the school curriculum i.e. ‘Citizenship’, ‘Literacy’ and history. Our elders go into schools/organisations speak to children, young people/participants about their lives before and after they came to England. We often have a community artist who does an activity which relates to the elder’s stories. The artists vary in the activities which they do i.e. traditional storytelling, drumming, painting, collage, and beat boxing.

Memoirs ‘Telling it like it is’ is a writing group where the elders can put their thoughts on paper, giving glimpses into their lives. Or this can be a chance to delve into ‘fantasy’.

The Reminiscence Groups are sessions which assist the elders in recapturing the memoirs from their lives, whether it is their childhood, ‘back home’, the war, work or romance.

NB: We organize various events as well as collaborating with other groups on various activities. The times and dates will be available on our website.

For more information contact

The Here to Stay project,
Unit 36, Unity Business Centre,
26 Roundhay Road, LS7 1AB

Tel: 01132435058

Website: www.heretostay.org