Outreach projects

We are proud to be involved in a variety of community-led projects that explore different themes and ideas - documented in our archive records - to inspire creative outputs and collect shared memory. 

Project leads include students and staff from London Metropolitan University, but also partners across different charity organisations and local authorities. Funding support for these projects has kindly been provided by the University or external bodies like the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

Oral History

'Oral history has grown, over the past 50 years, to become a major channel through which people can participate in documenting their lived experience. Valuing the lives of marginalised groups in society, it creates a ‘history from below’, empowers participants and includes more diverse perspectives on the past.' 

Centre for Life Writing and Oral History, London Metropolitan University 

A number of our outreach projects have included the collection of oral history interviews, recorded to preserve the spoken voice of individuals and communities who are not widely represented in our archives. 

This more inclusive practice of collecting social memory, can allow for a greater participation in these projects and support wider health and wellbeing activities. 

These include interviews recorded for the I Only Came over for a Couple of Years, Healing the Wounds and Black Trade Unionist oral history projects.