Next up in our ‘Introducing…’ series is Rose Young-French.
Rose is the Community Heritage Coordinator for Bideford.
Everyone loves a story!
I have always loved hearing stories, from the Jamaican folklore stories my Dad told me at bedtime to the countless fictional characters I wrote about as a child. When we share our life experiences with a wider audience, it is an invitation to weave parts of our journey into the minds of the listener, finding similar or common themes and perhaps making more sense of the diverse tapestry which makes up our lives.
I am really excited to be a part of Telling Our Stories, Finding Our Roots, having been involved in a similar project several years ago when I lived in Wiltshire. Both my Mum & Dad gave their oral history testimonies, and I heard fascinating first-hand accounts of their journey settling in a new country.
Telling Our Stories, Finding Our Roots offers a wonderful opportunity for community members from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to share their experiences of living and raising their families here in Bideford. This helps to give a broader view of the historical and present day contributions that a culturally rich community brings to an area.
Fascinating information is already emerging; our research group have found lots of content which will form part of our exhibition next year. We plan to bring you a series of small events over the next few months which will focus on the project aims. Please come and have a cup of tea and chat with our fabulous volunteers, while you learn more about this exciting local project in Bideford.