Media Release 7th September 2023: Abi Obene appointed as Ilfracombe Community Heritage Coordinator for exciting new multi-cultural history project
Devon Development Education (DDE), a global learning charity, is delighted to announce the appointment of Abi Obene as its Ilfracombe Community Heritage Coordinator for an exciting new project which promises to unearth new stories revealing Devon’s long multi-cultural history in the towns of Ilfracombe and Honiton.
Abi has a Masters Degree (Distinction) in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies and is currently Collections Officer at Ilfracombe Museum with responsibility for the care, digitisation and re-categorisation of over 28,000 museum items.
Abi also carries out research requests, event hosting and co-management of the museum’s volunteers. Additionally they volunteer at The Burton at Bideford Art Gallery and Museum.
Abi joins Hilda Kalap, Project Coordinator and Jess Huffman, Honiton Community Heritage Coordinator as part of the core team for the Telling our Stories, Finding Our Roots Devon’s Multi-Cultural History project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In both Ilfracombe and Honiton volunteers will receive full training to collect at least six oral histories and memory pieces on particular themes. Archives research will aim to uncover at least five local histories relating to multi-cultural diversity. The aim is to recruit at least 50% from a black or Asian background. Those interested in volunteering should contact dde@globalcentredevon.org.uk or lok on Devon Development Education’s website: https://www.globalcentredevon.org.uk/
The project will take 18 months to complete, starting in summer 2023 and finishing at the end of 2024. Both oral histories and research will be added to the museums’ collections at the end of the project, enriching the collections and helping to fill gaps identified by the museums.
Abi says: “I’m excited to be part of this project exploring an often overlooked part of Ilfracombe – and Devon – history and am very interested to see where it could go in the coming months.”
For further information please contact Hilda Kalap, Project Coordinator: hildatosfor@gmail.com or Tel: 07983216793