Community History Awards, Manchester Town Hall

MANCHESTER HISTORIES FESTIVAL

EVALUATION REPORT 2012 the Compiled by Jim Ralley (The Big Art People) with Abigail Gilmore, Kate Campbell Payne and Mo Yin Kwok (the Institute for Cultural Practices) PEOPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Manchester Histories Festival (MHF) held its second festival from 24 February to 4 March 2012, following an inaugural festival in 2009.

There were 108 events, performances, talks, tours and exhibitions taking place over 10 days of the Festival. These were produced by community groups, venues, tour companies, heritage museums, academics and others. A further 84 organisations exhibited at the Town Hall on the Celebration Day

Most of the events were presented in partnership with another organisation or venue, although 30 venues developed their own events, which were marketed under the banner of the MHF.

The main festival partners who provided funds, value-in-kind and other forms of support, were the University of Manchester (UoM), Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), and Renaissance North West TOTAL VISITOR NUMBERS

The other MHF partners who provided additional support, funds, and coordinate special events were: Arts Council England, 10,000 ModernHistory, ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), Central Manchester University Hospitals, cities@manchester, Manchester City Council’s Manchester Libraries, Information and NEW TO HISTORY or Archives, and ESRC Centre for Research of Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC). HERITAGE

MHF was governed by the Festival Board and managed by a Festival Director, with a small core team of volunteers, and with 37% support from a larger team of 25 volunteers during the time of the Festival. NUMBER OF EVENTS Evaluation research was commissioned by the Festival Director, Claire Turner to show how the festival performed against its objectives. Visitor, event organiser, venue, and volunteer surveys 108 were conducted over the period of the festival, accompanied by media analysis and an estimation of economic value added through leverage. CORE BUDGET The main findings of the evaluation are as follows:

10,000 estimated visitor attendances based on event monitoring, £80,907 of which approximately 3,000 are attendances at the Celebration Day in the Town Hall. Many were new audiences for heritage events: from the profile of respondents to the visitor survey, FUNDS LEVERAGED around a third of these (32%) were infrequent attenders to history/heritage events, and 37% of them had never before attended a history/heritage event. Nearly three-quarters (71%) £158,840 were new audiences to the Manchester Histories interest groups, who benefit from the presentation Festival and nearly half (47%) were new visitors to opportunities, the chance to engage with new their event venue. audiences and the potential for new links and networks with other heritage groups and institutions The majority (84%) were from Greater Manchester, in the city. with the remainder from around the North West, notably Cheshire and Merseyside, with smaller The Festival hosted the first Community History clusters around London, Bristol, and along the M1. Awards, which promoted knowledge sharing and Within the UK, people came from as far afield as partnerships between community groups and Glasgow, Dublin, Exeter, Wales and Norwich. schools, and universities, museums, archives, galleries and libraries, awarding profile, prizes Visitor feedback suggests the Manchester Histories and recommendations to projects in a celebration Festival events were very well received. Audiences evening. rated the events they attended highly (over 90% gave them 4 or 5 stars) and event organisers Community groups who participated this year are reported higher than expected attendance. keen to use MHF as a forum for networking and developing shared interests year-round and would be Events which featured popular cultural forms with interested in seeing more frequent activity delivered strong links to Manchester (football and music) were outside of the main festival period. highlights of the Festival for new audiences and new types of events such as pervasive games and tours The Festival also offers clear value and benefits to using digital media helped to make the Festival more its core partners and funders, especially Manchester engaging for broader audiences and added to the Metropolitan University and the University of rich programme of lectures, exhibitions and walks. Manchester. It provides a platform for public engagement in research, a vehicle for social The main forms of marketing and publicity for the responsibility and widening participation, through Festival were print, social and digital media and the volunteering and internship possibilities and by word-of-mouth through professional and community working with schools, community groups and other networks. learning organisations.

Visitor feedback suggested that word-of-mouth The Manchester Histories Festival is developing and online media were the main channels that into a strong brand, and its cumulative value is visitors found out about events, but both visitor therefore more than the series of events in a ten and event organisers’ feedback recommended that day programme. With further strategic planning, in there needed to be more marketing activity across consultation with the many partners in Manchester’s the festival. A longer lead-in time and additional heritage landscape, it has potential for delivering resourcing will ensure that this happens in 2014. on the Manchester Manifesto (the City’s history strategy) far into the future. The Festival had a relatively small core budget of £80,907. It leveraged a further £158,840 in-kind from partner organisations, speaker and volunteer time, and attributable projects, demonstrating an additional £1.96 for every £1 spent on the festival.

The evaluation findings suggest that Manchester Histories Festival provides a strong basis for collaboration across the city and Greater Manchester area, particularly for community history and other MHF Opening, People’s History Museum CONTENTS

01 Introduction

03 MHF Aims & Objectives

05 Governance

06 Programme

10 Audience Reach

16 Marketing

20 Value

26 Partner Benefits

32 Lessons

33 Recommendations

36 Appendices INTRODUCTION Manchester Histories Festival (MHF) 2012 was a ten METHODOLOGY day programme of events and activities between the The evaluation process has been carried out by a 24th February and 04th March 2012. Its aim was small team, led by Jim Ralley, The Big Art People, to engage the people of Manchester with the past with contribution and advice from Abigail Gilmore, (and present) of their city, to celebrate the familiar, Institute for Cultural Practices at The University and to reveal new and hidden histories by bringing of Manchester. The framework of methods we together the knowledge resources of the academic employed to elicit and collate data on various and cultural institutions with the large range of local aspects of the Festival is as follows: and special interest societies in the city. • Venue/tour guide logs The 2012 Festival provided the opportunity for • Event logs people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to • Visitor Survey (self-administered print and online) learn, explore, discover, and interpret history through • Volunteers feedback survey (self-administered, music, film, debate, talks by renowned historians, online only) performance, walking tours, etc. The use of the plural • Tour participants survey (self-administered, online “Histories” in the title is an indicator of the ethos only) behind MHF. In recognition of the plurality of voices, • Bookers data opinions and expertise which give Manchester • Interviews and personal communication with its identity, MHF sought to provide a platform for participating speakers/academics, staff and students spreading and exchanging stories and knowledge. from the University of Manchester, Manchester MHF aimed to give the city an opportunity to look Metropolitan University, and the University of Salford back on itself, focus on its past, celebrate its • Film, photos, and podcasts of key events heritage, and to think about the present. • Social media, ticketing, and website analytics • Economic valuation through in-kind support The inagaural Festival in 2009 had taken place on leverage and volunteer hours two successive days at the Town Hall: an education • Community consultation day on the Friday, and the main events on the • Case studies, including interviews with organisers Saturday. It was felt that this event demonstrated the range of Manchester’s cultural institutions and CAVEAT voluntary associations, their capacity for combined Throughout the report we refer to figures from the action, and the public demand for engagement with Visitor Survey distributed at the majority events the city’s histories. The 2012 festival aimed to build and exhibitions held over the ten days. We received on this by extending the festival period to ten days 1,127 returns that were collated and processed by and increasing the sites where festival activities a team of volunteer students from the Institute for took place. As well as the Celebration Day, a large Cultural Practice’s MA programmes. As there was programme of events was provided in a variety of no systematic attempt to undertake probability venues, developing new collaborations between or randomised sampling, the responses from the the festival, the venues and their audiences, and survey cannot be assumed to be representative widening involvement and access. of any particular population, other than ‘people who came to events and who agreed to fill in a This evaluation report examines the key factors survey.’ However, the large number of responses and features of organising and delivering the MHF presents a picture of opinions from a diverse range programme, and documents the responses to MHF of participants and audience members at MHF, and from participants and co-organisers, through various their answers produce valuable data for formative feedback mechanisms. It considers whether and and summative evaluation. Where possible we how MHF met its objectives, and the lessons which have considered this data in relation to expected can be taken from MHF 2012 for future programmes proportions for similar populations – e.g. audience and activities. segmentation, Manchester populations. 01 Participant in Larkin’ About game, Manchester Town Hall MHF AIMS & OBJECTIVES

AIMS OBJECTIVES

• To encourage interest in local histories • To attract more than 5,000 visitors across all age groups and communities in • Provide effective publicity through Manchester extensive media coverage, programmes, • To bring together Manchester’s educational and stands on the Celebration Day and cultural institutions with a range of • To develop the partnerships and increase schools, societies, and community groups investment with the universites • To inspire an interest in the city’s redevelopment and future, by providing a For the universities: greater understanding of the city’s past • Effective outreach to potential students (of • To stimulate an interest in local history all ages), schools, and wider publics among children and young people, by • Public evidence of the universities’ building a sense of local involvement and engagement with schools, cultural improve educational attainment institutions, societies, the City council, and • To reinforce interest in local histories, by with wider publics encouraging the development of widely • An on-going resource for local history which accessible resources will continue to attract potential students • To inspire the people of Manchester with a and other supporters of universities lasting pride in their shared inheritance • A two-way sharing of knowledge and • To place the history of Manchester in a expertise between the universities, and local national and international context and amateur historians

03 Clarion Cycle Ride, People’s History Museum GOVERNANCE MAIN FUNDERS BOARD Three organisations produced MHF: The Festival Board comprises: • University of Manchester (UoM) • Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Emma Anderson, Manager, Renaissance North West • Renaissance North West Hannah Barker, Professor of British History, UoM Dave Haslam, Musician, DJ, author The two universities are the official bodies running Martin Hewitt, Professor of History, MMU MHF. They operate under an official agreement with Craig Horner, Lecturer in Community History, MMU UoM as the lead partner. UoM manages income and John Pickstone, Wellcome Research Professor, UoM expenditure and produces financial reports, as well John Williams, Heritage and Exhibitions Consultant as providing office space and covering overheads for the Festival Director. MANAGEMENT The MHF management team was small, and relied Both universities seek to provide administration, on a core group of committed volunteers to cover marketing, fundraising, publicity, project key duties. management, displays, logistics, and web support where possible and needed. Claire Turner, Festival Director, was responsible for creative direction, strategic planning, marketing, and MAIN PARTNERS fundraising. She was the only permanent member of The MHF partners provide additional support, funds, the team, working 2 days/week between May 2011 and coordinate special events. They are Arts Council and February 2012, going full time just two weeks England, ModernHistory, ERDF (European Regional before the start of the Festival. She has remained full Development Fund), Central Manchester University time since the end of MHF. Hospitals, cities@manchester, Manchester City Council’s Manchester Libraries, Information and Sara Teiger, Media & PR, was the only other paid Archives, and ESRC Centre for Research of Socio- member of the management team, on a freelance Cultural Change (CRESC). part-time contract for ten days.

The MHF’s official suppliers were Epigram, a There were five key volunteers who were integral to creative design agency, and Glitterfish, a web design the running of MHF 2012 during the lead up to the company. Both companies are based in Greater festival, and in the festival week itself. These were: Manchester. Ellie Edmonds, Festival Coordinator The media partner for MHF 2012 was Manchester Jessica Ings, Festival Coordinator Confidential, an online magazine and listings site. Zora Kuettner, Festival Coordinator Rebecca Lowson, Volunteer Coordinator Jenny Oakenfull, Volunteer Social Media Coordinator

There was also a large team of dedicated volunteers who provided support at events throughout the festival. Their names can be found in the appendix.

Between festivals the team comprises just Claire Turner. This reduced capacity must be taken into account throughout the future development of the programme.

05 PROGRAMME The model for programming MHF is best demonstrated by the graphic to the right and the text below.

The Festival Director develops a signature programme of events with heritage partners, including commissioned talks, tours and exhibitions, as well as joint partnership projects. These lead up to an ‘exhibition space’ for community heritage groups and organisations on the Celebration Day, at the Town Hall. This formal programming is augmented by an open call for events and activities, which are led by a large range of different public and third sector organisations to become part of the Festival The event programme was consistently busy over programme. Organisations plan, produce, and deliver the ten days, fluctuating between a minimum of 19 these events autonomously, often with the support of and maximum of 84 events within the city at any MHF volunteers, and promoted under the banner of one day. These events offered a diversity of content, MHF. This three-tiered system gives both a fine- location, and type, with the regular succession of grain and rich texture to MHF. walking tours and exhibitions being supported by one-off talks, pervasive games, film screenings, and In 2012, in total there were 108 events, debates. The exception to this is the Celebration Day, performances, talks, and exhibitions that took place during which the majority of the talks were held, over the 10 days of the Festival, in addition to 84 again giving voice to a hugely diverse set of themes organisations who exhibited at the Town Hall on the and disciplines. The talks covered archaeology, Celebration Day. architecture, Black history, Chinese culture, comedy, football, radical Manchester, science, sport, wartime, and women.

06 WHAT RESOURCES WERE AVAILABLE? The three lead partners contributed the majority of the funds to maintain the core functions of the Festival. There was also a substantial carry over from the 2009 Festival. Further restricted and unrestricted funding was provided through the Arts Council England, Central Manchester University Hosptials, cities@manchester, ModernHistory, the Royal Geographic Society, and income from ticket sales. This combined funding enabled the Festival to leverage significant in-kind support from partner organisations.

The graphics below map out the relative sizes of each organisation’s contribution:

07 In addition to providing almost a third of the total cash funds for the Festival, the University of Manchester provided administrative and accounts support, an office for the Festival Director (including rent, rates, bills, computer, printing resources, phone line). The value of these is included in the leveraged support section below.

PARTNERS Most of the events were presented in partnership with another organisation or venue. There were 30 partner venues that, through consultation with the Festival Director, developed, produced, marketed, and ran their own events. These were all presented under the banner of the MHF (see appendix).

DOCUMENTATION A wide range of Festival events were photographed by Drew Forsyth from 4sythphotography, and filmed by The Big Art People. Additional photography was by Jan Chlebik.

TIMELINE

2011 1 June Festival Director appointed 2 days per week

June - November Initial consultations and meetings with key museums, galleries, archives, academics, community organisations November Flyer distributed

30 November Application packs for Community History Awards launched,

2012 8 January Deadline for submission of event details

27 January Closing date for entrants (awards presented Friday 2 March)

31 January Website completed with all events Deadline for submission of exhibition stands

13 February Programme distributed w/c

Due to the available resources, the timescale for finalising the programme and producing marketing for MHF 2012 was truncated with a short lead in time for Festival delivery, resulting in lower awareness of MHF through formal marketing as reflected in consultation and participant feedback. To avoid this, the next festival will have a deadline for submission of events in September/October 2013. This will allow the marketing campaign to launch at the beginning of November 2013, providing four months of marketing and PR.

08 Manchester Police Museum Exhibitor, Celebration Day, Manchester Town Hall AUDIENCE REACH HOW MANY DID IT REACH? 71% of the respondents had not attended MHF in An estimated 3,000 people attended the Celebration 2009. 47% of them were new to that particular Day at the Town Hall on Saturday 3 March. We venue. can calculate an estimate for the total number of Through its diverse programme and emphasis attendances of all MHF events, as follows. The on new methods of engagement, MHF 2012 was known attendance of 53 (49%) of events recorded effective in attracting a high proportion of non- by the evaluation and including a cross section attenders of heritage events. of venues, performances, talks, and exhibitions, was 3,348. Taking the mean attendance across these events we can use this figure as a proxy to extrapolate attendance for all 108 Festival events. An estimated total number of attendances for MHF is therefore 9,822.

These figures may include people who attended more than one event. It does not however include audiences reached through MHF programming Map of events situated in wider contexts and venues, for example It brought the Manchester Histories Festival brand to the audiences who experienced the MHF exhibition potentially thousands of new people, and introduced at the People’s History Museum. We can reasonably almost half of its audience to a new cultural venue. assume that the MHF reached a broader range of people than those indicated by event logs, although The events were primarily concentrated around we cannot assume brand awareness. Manchester, specifically the town centre and along the Oxford Road corridor. There were also a number of events further out, in Eccles, Salford Quays, Broughton, Cheetham Hill, Ashton-under-Lyne, Hyde, Timperley, Sale, and Didsbury.

WHO DID IT REACH? Of the 1,127 people who completed a Visitor Feedback form, 32% of them were infrequent attenders to history/heritage events, and 37% of them had never before attended a history/heritage event. Map of visitors 10 Yemeni Roots, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust Map of visitors

67% of the respondents to the survey provided their Across all of the MHF events then, the audience who postcode, and of these, the majority (84%) were from responded to the survey was generally older than Greater Manchester. The rest were focused around those who normally attend galleries and museums. the North West, notably Cheshire and Merseyside, with smaller clusters around London, Bristol, and along the M1. Within the UK, people came from as far afield as Glasgow, Dublin, Exeter, Wales and Norwich.

This demonstrates a clear appetite for engagement with Manchester’s histories from an audience outside of Greater Manchester. As the media coverage analysis demonstrates below, the majority of the publicity was concentrated within the county. There is an opportunity here to increase regional and national visitors to Manchester, perhaps with integration and support from Marketing Manchester and Creative Tourist.

The proportion of respondents who fall into the older age bands (55-64 and 65+) was higher than the proportion of museum and gallery attenders in those age bands across the general population. Similarly, the proportion of respondents in the 35-44 age band was lower than in the general population [MORI, 2005].

12 We can gain a more nuanced insight by looking into This concurs with findings from Visit Britain stating the motivations and actions of particular segments. that females are proportionally more likely to attend For the 16-24 and 25-34 age bands the MHF event museums and arts galleries for all age bands, except they attended was more likely to have been their first the 65+ group. (http://www.visitbritain.org/Images/ time at that venue. It was also more likely for the Foresight%20Issue%2083_tcm29-14817.pdf) event to have been the first time they had attended a history or heritage event. WHAT DID THEY THINK? The visitor survey respondents rated the events they We can say, therefore, that MHF succeeded in attended highly: nearly 90% gave the event they attracting older people who already actively attended four or five stars. Nearly half – 48% - gave participate in history and heritage, and introducing five stars. younger people to new history and heritage experiences.

The majority of the respondents (87.8%) were White, 3.1% were of Mixed ethnicity, 1.9% Asian or Asian British, 1.8% Chinese or other ethnic group, and 1.3% were Black or Black British. This generally reflects the spread of the UK population, with a slightly lower proportion of Asian or Asian British than might be expected [ONS, Ethnicity & Identity, 2005].

When asked what the highlight of the Festival was respondents tended to focus on the event which they were currently attending – with 22% mentioning ‘this event’, ‘tour’ or ‘lecture’. Other qualitative responses referred to the highlight being the ‘information’ or ‘learning’ received through attending the Festival (4%). Particular events which got frequent mentions included the ‘I am Bert’ talk, lectures by C P Lee and Dave Haslam, and the Lip Service tour.

When asked what they thought might improve the There were proportionally more women who Festival, the most frequent response concerned responded compared to the proportion of the general marketing and publicity – a third of responses (32%) population. The UK as a whole is 49.4% Female and mentioned ‘publicity’,’marketing’ or ‘advertising’ 50.6% Male, whereas MHF respondents comprised and some responded that they had not seen any 55.9% Female and 44.1% Male. advertising at all.

Others (2%, or 14 of those who answered this question) felt that the festival should be of longer 13 duration and 4 respondents recommended that the individuals, and groups. During the Celebration Day festival would be improved by making it annual. 4% the five games [Rosy’s Revenge, True Colours, Lions (23 respondents) said they felt nothing at all should After Slumber, The Birds, Prarieland] engaged 350 be changed. participants. They were played in and around the Town Hall, entering new worlds, meeting fictional NEW METHODS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH HISTORY characters, creating political parties, running through AND HERITAGE the streets, and fishing for lost souls. The popularity As stated above, over one third of survey respondents of these games was such that they were fully booked said they had never been to a history/heritage event and over-subscribed. before. This figure demonstrates that there is a real passion for history/heritage but that potentially DIGITAL PERVASIVE GAME people often wouldn’t attend something that has Playfulness as a route to engagement was also been defined as that. For certain events it is possible explored in two activities produced by the Institute that people attended because it was themed around for Cultural Practices, University of Manchester. “football” or “music”, rather than specifically history Histonauts was a digital treasure hunt played through or heritage. The two events on these topics – the Twitter. During MHF, at the start of each day there Football Debate and the Fanzine talk – both sold were clues released about events, places, and objects out. Looking at the profile of respondents from these to excite the Histonauts and help them create content events in more detail appears to confirm this analysis: and share their findings with the world. It aimed to increase engagement with MHF and its partners, get FOOTBALL DEBATE people excited about history, and produce interesting 29% of audience returned surveys (51 out of 174) user-generated content. 35% of those were 25-34 year olds 45% were new to history/heritage events 39 people signed up to play the game, and 17 actively played during the week. A further 8 signed up to FANZINES play on the Celebration Day, via the information stall. 22% of audience returned surveys (39 out of 176) Between them, the Histonauts “uncovered” 312 36% of those were 25-34 year olds historical facts about Manchester, and logged these online with a picture and short description. Similarly, ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC using Archives Plus digitised images posted on the 39% of audience returned surveys (39 out of 100) social media platform, Flickr, “Manchester, A 100 35% of those were 35-44 year olds years Ago” providing a digital tour-game around 32% were 45-54 year olds Manchester’s past using smartphones and QR codes.

The programme sought to challenge commonly held These innovative forms of digital engagement with notions of history and heritage. As well as providing history and heritage encouraged participants to make alternative routes to engagement through targeted their own meaning and interpret the city as they subject matter, such as football, music, and fanzines, saw it. Future festivals should also seek to explore there was a strong progressive digital and gaming the possibilities of digital technologies and social element to MHF. media, and to encourage as much active participation as possible. Sitting alongside the more traditional HISTORY GAMES exhibitions, lectures and walking tours, they offer Larkin’ About in partnership with Library Theatre new opportunities for interaction with the histories Company hosted a series of pervasive games at resources and expertise in the city and create a the Town Hall. This new movement aims to bring diverse and inclusive programme. video-type games into the real world, using familiar spaces in new, interesting ways. The games were for everyone, adults, families, young people, 14 Gorton Monastery MARKETING HOW DID PEOPLE GET TO HEAR ABOUT MHF? Radio coverage across Greater Manchester was A third of respondents to the visitor survey said that strong, with the Festival Director and several key they felt the Festival didn’t receive enough formal speakers promoting specific events and the MHF marketing or publicity. When asked how they did more generally on: hear about their event, the highest response was ‘word of mouth’ (43%), followed by 23% who had found out about the event through the MHF website. • All FM The print marketing brochure accounted for 16% • BBC Radio Manchester (x12) with social media and venue websites comprising • BBC 6 Music the other responses. • Gaydio • Salford City Radio WHAT KIND OF MEDIA COVERAGE DID MHF RECEIVE? MHF received good coverage across a range of local Online the Festival was covered by a range of and national media, featuring heavily on events predominantly Manchester-based news sites, previews and family friendly listings. There were also listings, and blogs, who promoted specific events a number of event-specific articles in both print and and the Festival more generally: online, focusing on the football and music events in particular. • BBC News Manchester Nationally, MHF was featured in: • Chorlton Life • Citylife • The Guardian Guide “events preview” • Creative Choices • The Independent “Best Family Events” • Creative Tourist information magazine • Guardian Northerner Blog • The Independent “sports diary” • History Workshop Online • The Mirror “Welcome to the Weekend” • Kids Confidential section • Manchester Mule • ManCon Locally and regionally MHF featured in: • Mancunian Matters • Salford Star • Bolton News • Simply Manchester • Big Issue • Vintage Manchester • Manchester Evening News • We Heart • Mums and Dads magazine • Sale and Altrincham Advertiser • South Manchester Reporter • Tameside Reporter WEBSITE • Tameside Advertiser Data for the period of 01/01/12 to 01/04/12 provides • Urban Life a general picture of the increasing web engagement • UniLife with the Manchester Histories Festival official website during the lead up to MHF and the post- festival decline in engagement.

There were 27,502 visits in total, 17,660 of which were unique visitors. 40% of those visits occurred during the ten days of MHF.

16 The largest proportion of visitors came from Google The site at the moment acts like an online searches, for which the top search terms were programme, and people visited with a view to “manchester histories festival”, “manchester history attending events in person. festival”, and “manchester histories”. People were actively searching for the MHF site, rather than 15% of visits were on mobile devices. This coming across it by chance. demonstrates a clear need for a simplified, mobile version of the site which doesn’t currently exist.

There were several spikes in visitor numbers to the site that was directly attributable to extra content being pushed through MHF and partner organisations’ social media channels.

The 13th February saw promotion on Facebook and Twitter of the Football Debate in the Town Hall. This contributed to a peak of almost 900 visits to the site.

Similarly on the 20th February a promo video for the Larkin’ About History Game was distributed through the MHF YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, and Twitter account. This coincided with Larkin’ About’s call on Twitter for actors, the People’s History Museum’s promotion of their MHF events, Northern Visitors stayed on the site for an average of 3:15, Quarter Life linking to the MHF homepage, and the which is a relatively short amount of time when Whitworth Art Gallery announcing its first After Hours compared to Google’s own benchmarked average in music event. On this day there were almost 1,500 the UK of 5:38. However, the MHF essentially acts as a visits to the site. listings and marketing site for the festival, and we can assume that once visitors found the event they were It is an obvious but important conclusion to draw, looking for, they went elsewhere. This is evidenced by that interesting engaging content encourages people the top ten most popular pages that visitors engaged to visit an organisation’s website. In addition to this, with: they were looking for “what was on”. an integrated social media strategy with key partner organisations is useful for generating an all-important 1. Homepage buzz during the lead up to an event. 2. What’s On 3. What’s On Guide 4. What’s On 3rd March (Celebration Day) 5. Register 6. InfraManc (exhibition at Cube Gallery) 7. Information 8. Clock Tower Tours 9. Home of Elizabeth Gaskell 10. Celebration Day

The vast majority of the visitors to the site (94.6%) were from the UK. This is unsurprising when viewed through the lens of the most popular pages.

17 FACEBOOK The three videos have received 648 views to date, The volunteer Social Media Manager was responsible suggesting there is a clear appetite for consumption for audience engagement and promotion through of video content amongst the MHF audience. It Facebook. This was done by regularly posting links is increasingly important for arts, cultural and to new events, responding to people’s questions and heritage organisations to produce video for online comments, and updating the page with photos, links, consumption. MHF in its role as a promoter of hidden and videos as the MHF progressed. histories in Manchester has the potential to widen access to these in the future through more and better The page received 252 likes before MHF, and 70 likes video content. during MHF.

92% of likes were from Facebook users in the UK.

There is the potential to engage more and younger audiences through innovative uses of Facebook. MHF is now in a good position on Facebook with a substantial audience base. For the next festival it needs to work hard at creating interesting and engaging content before and during the ten-day program. In a busy digital social space organisations have to work hard to be heard above the crowd. Appealing to the interests of its existing online audience base will deepen their engagement and could reap rewards offline.

TWITTER Like Facebook, the Twitter account was a valuable tool for audience engagement, promotion of key events, and building buzz during the run-up to the festival. There were up to 7 tweets per day before MHF and a regularly updating stream of links, photos, videos, and audience engagement during the festival.

The account has 882 followers at the moment, but activity has predictably slowed with the departure of the volunteer Social Media Manager and the lack of MHF events. The account is well placed to pull together and promote Manchester histories events throughout the year, and to sustain an open online dialogue with participants, attenders, and other organisations.

YOUTUBE Prior to MHF three promo videos were produced to be distributed before the festival. These short teasers were designed to support the text and picture based website and engage potential audiences with some of the people behind MHF. 18 MHF Volunteer, Manchester Town Hall VALUE IN-KIND How much in-kind value did the core funding leverage?

From its relatively small core budget of £86,613 MHF • These, added to goods and services that leveraged a further £158,840 in-kind from partner were given and donated, give a total in-kind organisations, speaker and volunteer time, and value of £158,840 attributable projects. The above graphic shows the • This, added to the total income of £86,613, different sources of in-kind value, showing that the makes the true cost of the Festival stand at development of strong partnerships is important for £245,453 unlocking resources, and providing mutual benefits for MHF and the partner: EDUCATION MHF 2009 featured a Schools Day where Primary • The total value of the in-kind support from and Secondary schools across Manchester worked MHF volunteers was worth £10,418 with history and heritage partners around the wealth • The 37 free talks delivered by academics of stories in the city. Due to the changing offer for and other speakers had a value of £11,100 schools regionally and nationally, it was decided • The value of support from volunteers that the schools programme would be dispersed through partner organizations was £28,921 throughout the ten-day festival. Projects developed • Partner organizations also kindly gave the educational offer around stories of Manchester, support in hundreds of staff hours, to the working with schools and more broadly with heritage value of £66,344 partners to produce new content that would be 20 showcased during MHF but which produced legacy develop partnerships and to: on an ongoing basis. For example, a number of new • Enrich the curriculum initiatives were developed through the Museums • Develop key thinking and learning skills Learning Consortium programme, funded by • Enhance the Gifted and Talented curriculum Renaissance North West, which tested new activities, • Demonstrate how local history connects with wider including MOSI’s Romans tour. social change

The Centre for the History of Science, Technology WHAT WAS THE VALUE OF THE FESTIVAL? and Medicine (University of Manchester) produced an online Welcome Pack for Schools, which suggested For Audiences both topics and materials on the Manchester The visitor feedback from audiences reports a very Histories of science, technology and medicine. positive experience with high levels of satisfaction for CHSTM also obtained a grant from the Central events. MHF successfully engaged with audiences Manchester University Hospitals Trust endowment who usually attend history and heritage events, as covering work with schools around Health Histories well succeeding in attracting new audiences to history and the preparation of further on line material. and heritage. There were particularly effective collaborations with Communications Academy in North Manchester, and 31% of respondents were frequent attenders and the Health Academy in Wythenshawe which the Trust 32% were infrequent attenders. For 37% of the sponsors. The Communications Academy is close to respondents, the MHF event they attended was their the site of the former infectious disease hospital for first ever history/heritage event. Manchester, Monsall Hospital, and CHSTM was able The MHF appears to provide impetus for a broader to arrange much appreciated visits to the Academy by segment of the population to get involved in history, Howard Shilton, a senior lecturer in Nursing, who has and brings potential benefits to partner organisations researched the history of the hospital and was himself through audience development. For 47% of once employed there. The work with the Health respondents the MHF event was the first time they Academy involved Health History Walks by Emma Fox, had ever visited that particular venue suggesting a one of the Manchester guides. CHSTM also prepared successful means of attracting new audiences for the a substantial learning pack on Monsall hospital, which partners engaging in MHF. will be available for future Festivals, and indeed for use by all Manchester schools. The evaluation research with partipating venues also reports very positive feedback regarding the These lively health history projects created much events they produced and hosted, with higher than interest in the participant schools and at the Festival. expected visitor numbers for many of the venues and They were particularly effective in linking different an overwhelming satisfaction with the performance of disciplines, notably history, science, and health their events. education. Like the online material they served to

21 Creative Tourist presents Lip Service: The Hysterical Historical Walking Tour For Community Groups many times over the years and were MHF saw one of its key aims as providing a platform and showcase for smaller community groups. For delighted to be able to come in. A them it was an opportunity to build relationships with number said they would come back a wider public and to network with a wide range of again. other history and heritage organizations. All in all a very good result!” The feedback forms, along with anecdotal evidence from the day, show the importance of the Celebration HOW DO COMMUNITY GROUPS CONTINUE TO Day as an opportunity for networking between small BENEFIT AND REMAIN AT THE CORE OF THE and large heritage organisations. The 84 organizations FESTIVAL? who exhibited represented a huge range of local, To ensure that the full range of opinions came through regional, and national history and heritage interests. in the evaluation process we conducted a consultation However these were only a proportion of the potential session for the community groups who were involved interest groups who are active in the Greater in MHF 2012. We presented some preliminary findings Manchester region, and many organisations (an from the visitor feedback, using the results to prompt estimated half as many again) had to be turned down discussion and debate around the key issues with due to insufficient space at the Celebration Day. MHF moving forward.

From the interest shown in the Celebration Day We posited that the visitor and event feedback and from event feedback, there is need for more suggests MHF is a great potential vehicle for centralised research and coordination to identify engagement of new audiences in the heritage the common needs and potential opportunities for landscape and resources in Manchester. We asked community groups and venues in the city-region. This the community groups what we might do differently to will help them to connect up, and raise their profiles ensure success, and what they envisaged happening. through this mechanism. Taking their insights into account, as well as feedback Many smaller community groups benefitted from the from the Festival Director, volunteers, and partner increased profile of MHF. The regional media coverage organisations, the following themes emerge. and buzz generated through word of mouth and online by MHF and partner organizations brought their work MHF as a network to a much wider audience than usual. Gaskell’s House There was clear sense that the networking is a good example of this. Ann O’Brien, organiser said: and collaborative opportunities provided by the Celebration Day and the wider programme were incredibly useful. This view was expressed by small “There were so many people [and] so and large organisations alike, and by funding bodies much else going on there wasn’t the like the Heritage Lottery Fund. time to record anything. It was literally MHF is well placed to act as a central node around non-stop. The ladies involved were which conversations can happen and partnerships exhausted by the end of the day. develop. We made over £830, as well as getting Widen the geographical scope of MHF new members for both the Gaskell MHF 2012 was largely a Manchester City event, Society and Friends of the Gaskells’ with the majority of the events taking place in the city centre, and along the Oxford Road corridor. House. However, many of the organisations who exhibited People said they had passed the house on the Celebration Day came from other boroughs

23 of Greater Manchester, showing that the appetite for engagement with history and heritage is present MHF having a presence throughout the year further afield. There is the sense that a biennial festival model is inflexible, and risks missing potential anniversary There is the potential to spread more events and partnership opportunities that might arise during throughout Greater Manchester during the week of the 103 weeks that MHF is dormant. Building some MHF with the aim of engaging a much wider public. flexibility in programming, or planning for one or two There is also an opportunity to provide Greater annual events would perhaps be beneficial, and would Manchester groups with access to over 3,000 visitors have the added benefit of keeping the MHF brand in on the Celebration Day. the public consciousness.

CASE STUDY 1 - VOLUNTEERS

We sent out a post-event survey to all of the volunteers who were known to the MHF management team (there were many more volunteer contributions associated with community groups, heritage partner organisations and others, however a mailing list of all voluntary contributors is not currently available). Just under a third (32% of the total number) responded. The quantitative data shows them to be a diverse group, with varying levels of history interest and heritage event attendance, different employment statuses (included retirees and students), and varying levels of current volunteering. Qualitative responses were illuminating about the responsibilities, benefits and value of their experience as volunteers.

Why did you want to volunteer with the Histories Festival? “I was interested to work on an event that involved so many cultural institutions, had such a range of topics and aimed to reach out to people who would not normally interact with museums.” “I’m fascinated by social history and was hoping to gain more experience in the heritage sector and have some fun learning local history.”

What was the highlight of your experience volunteering? “I was able to learn a lot from Claire, the Festival Director, and it was good that she trusted me with certain tasks and gave me a specifc role in the Festival - rather than just vaguely asking me to help out!” “Getting a chance to see places I didn’t previously know were there” “Meeting different organisations and people interested in their local history. Discovering smaller community projects which do exciting things.”

Do you think you acquired any new skills that enhance your employability? “managing volunteers” “time management skills” “insight into how big events are organized” “it reminded me of the skills I have which aren’t being used in my job”

The volunteers viewed the opportunity as both a learning and social experience. They had prior interest in history and heritage but weren’t necessarily frequent attenders of history and heritage events. They saw the Festival as an opportunity to indulge their interests and contribute to something of worth.

Some volunteers also felt they had developed transferrable skills that they felt would serve them well in the future jobs market.

24 Larkin’ About participants, Celebration Day, Manchester Town Hall PARTNER BENEFITS HOW DOES THE MHF BENEFIT PARTNERS? responders to the Visitor Feedback survey, 9% (101) were current students, and 7.8% (88) were staff With no standard model of partnership or at UoM, MMU, or Salford. The highest proportion organisational collaboration, the benefits of being of students and staff came from University of part of MHF varies according to the amount of cash Manchester and made up 10% of the survey and in-kind support given, the resources made respondents. available, and the willingness to open up and engage with the general public. Two UoM MA students placements worked alongside the Festival Director. These placements UoM not only strengthened the links between MHF and The University of Manchester contributed the largest individual UoM programmes of study, but also amount of cash funds to MHF 2012 (£40,000 in provided students with valuable skills development total), as well as donating resources for the 22 opportunities, generated a large amount of in- events which they co-produced. The MHF is now kind support for MHF, and made a significant being recognised within the University as one of its positive impact on some small community history major outreach initiatives. It provides a platform for organisations. academics and students to showcase their work to wider publics, and to gain from involvement with The university partnerships also brought student a diverse range of talks, games, family friendly audiences to the Festival. Of the 1,127 responses activities, music gigs, original films, and archive film to the Visitor Feedback survey, 9% (101) were screenings. current students, and 7.8% (88) were staff at UoM, MMU, or Salford. The highest proportion of students The university partnerships help advertise the and staff came from University of Manchester and Festival and bring in audiences. Of the 1,127 made up 10% of the survey respondents. As they

CASE STUDY 2 - MA PLACEMENTS

The Pankhurst Centre sits in the historical home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her family, who led the Suffragette campaign for votes for women. The building is dual purpose, housing a women’s community centre providing a space for activities, events, organisations, and projects that support women. In addition to this it contains a small public heritage area with information about the Pankhurst family and the movement in general.

The physical space of the heritage centre is very limited, so the management team sought support, on advice from the MHF Festival Director, from two UoM MA students, each on a 20 day work placement. The students set up and ran social media accounts, developed events for International Womens Day, designed a display for the Jewish International Womens Day celebration, and ran a one-off Easter celebration event.

Their work had demonstrable value for the organisation, with clear tangible outputs and increased levels of online and offline engagement. Alison Backhouse, Development Coordinator at the Pankhurst Centre said:

“The MA placements were really valuable, we would have been lost without them. Their work gave us such a boost to visitor numbers.”

26 produced more events, it is unsurprising that the Archaeology dig, and talks by MMU academics. majority of the students who attended were from UoM and demonstrates that university involvement The NWFA contributions played a significant role also operates as a form of informal marketing for the in MHF, with Art & Artists on Film screening at the Festival. Whitworth Art Gallery, the historical films screening on the Celebration Day, and the popular All About The “As both a festival provider and an Music archive screening at Band on the Wall. The students and staff from MMU made up 4% of the organization that promotes history on a respondents to the visitor survey. continual basis through its communities and schools work and its digital presence, Now the model of public and student engagement has the Manchester Histories Festival is been proven, there is scope for MMU to co-produce many more events, to open up its valuable sources unique and provides a fantastic social of historical and contemporary knowledge to a wider engagement opportunity for universities. public, and to give its students the opportunities that It gives academics of all disciplines, as UoM MA students had during MHF 2012. well as students, librarians and curators, University of Salford a direct link to the public. The ability to The success of the three events produced by create meaningful relationships between UoS demonstrates the benefits which MHF university researchers and schools and brings to academic partners. The Archaeology of Communications conference, which was organised community groups is one of the things and paid for by the UoS, was well attended; and the that makes the Festival particularly two talks delivered by UoS academics received some special, as is its attraction to audiences excellent feedback from the Visitor Feedback forms. that do not usually take part in history, Other routes to participation came through Andrew heritage and cultural events. These Cooper, Academic Director MediaCityUK at the elements will form a focus of our activities University of Salford, who was one of the judges for in the coming years, alongside our the MHF Community History Awards. He said: strong relationships with the City Council and Manchester’s cultural institutions “This is an excellent example of how which have led to us assisting in the the academic community of universities development and delivery of the City’s can connect with a variety of other history strategy.” communities to develop and enhance shared interests across a range of Hannah Barker, Chair of the Manchester Histories Festival areas. The sharing of expertise from all board and Professor of British History, University of Manchester concerned is hugely beneficial. More specifically, the approach taken by MMU the MHF ensures that there is active MMU contributed £5,000 in cash funds for the participation in a range of activities that sponsorship of the new Community History Awards, and supported events through their community enrich shared knowledge of histories engagement programme, student volunteering, pertaining to the Manchester region, as the North West Film Archive (NWFA), Birley Fields well as given excellent exposure to how

27 collaborations of various kinds sustain classes. The University also has a range enthusiasm. of facilities that could be of benefit to the Greater involvement in the MHF would be festival, including the highly technologized welcomed by the University of Salford. We environment at MediaCityUK.” can support the event by playing an active There is clearly an appetite here to increase the level role in collaborations, through staff and of collaboration between UoS and MHF. The evidence student participation, as well as providing so far suggests that these kinds of partnerships are content for a variety of events and master mutually beneficial.

SUMMARY OF PARTNER BENEFITS University of Manchester Pickstone from UoM • UoM’s contribution was £40,000 plus an • 2 research and development projects using estimated £15,764 in-kind contribution digital technologies in public engagement (in volunteer and academic time, plus produced by the Institute for Cultural accommodation & overhead costs) Practices: Histonauts & Manchester 100 • 23 events were delivered by UoM academics years Ago and departments during MHF 2012 • Frances Lockett – Britain’s First Queen of • The Centre for the History of Science, Cotton exhibition and talk with Tameside Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) engaged Local Studies & Archive Centre, Dr Rebecca with schools through the production of a Conway (History) downloadable resource pack, the creation of a new heritage trail and a joint project with Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Health Academy • £5,000 direct MMU funding plus an • 8 talks presented by academics at the MHF estimated £2,110 in-kind contribution Celebration Day through volunteer and academic time • 15 students were involved in placements or • 4 academics delivered talks at the MHF as volunteers contributing towards UoM’s Celebration Day goal of 100,000 hours of student volunteering • Support for the Manchester Community time by 2015 History Awards • Introduction to, and engagement with, • 5 students were involved in MHF as the MA placement scheme by community volunteers organisations • North West Film Archive presented a day • 7 events presented at Manchester Museum of films for the MHF Celebration Day and a • 2 events delivered/partnered by Whitworth further talk in partnership with Whitworth Art Art Gallery Gallery; supported the Band on the Wall event • 3 events delivered involving John Rylands • The Birley Fields Community Heritage project Library was linked into MHF • The Confucius Institute delivered a talk as part of MHF University of Salford • 3 vox pops video podcasts funded by cities@ • 2 academics delivered talks for MHF, manchester and published on the MHF contributing an estimated £600 to their in- website and YouTube showcasing projects, kind contribution including the CHSTM schools health project • The Archaeology of Communications and an introduction to MHF by Professor John conference was partnered with MHF

28 Manchester Community History Awards, Manchester Town Hall Opportunities MHF’s new Community History Awards on the second Partners have successfully used MHF events as a Friday of MHF. vehicle for public engagement, the impact of which has been to increase awareness of the partner “It was nice to have the opportunity organisation’s work, and to take part in interesting and important collaborations. to connect children with the history of important institutions in Manchester. And The festival has acts as a node for collaboration great that they got the opportunity to across the partner organisations, providing an perform in front of an audience outside of opportunity for cross- and collaborative marketing, showcasing new work and gaining new audiences. their school: an audience full of adults. For universities it has the potential to act as a We [the Manchester Music Service] milestone date in the calendar around which public developed some interesting partnerships engagement and research dissemination activities for histories and heritage work can be coordinated. It also through the MHF and we’d really like to do acts as fantastic platform for volunteering, placements it again.” and internships, speaking to both social responsibility and employability agendas for university staff and How might commercial partners benefit? students. Whilst there is no precedent set for developing Andy Spearpoint from the One Education Music partnerships with commercial organisations, MHF ran a song-writing project with a primary school in is focused on engaging with the wider business Wythenshawe. The children spent time examining community in Manchester. They see a huge the murals in the Town Hall, working with tour guide opportunity to explore the story of individual business’ Jonathan Schofield to explore the history of the growth in relation to the development of Manchester’s building and of the city. After developing the song with history and heritage and its national and international in collaboration with Andy, the children performed at impact. CASE STUDY 3 - FANZINES PROJECT

During the run-up to Manchester Histories Festival, Board Member Dave Haslam initiated a project, funded by the Arts Council of England, with several groups of students, designers, and other partners, looking at the history of Manchester’s alternative fanzines. In response to this history, and inspired by it, they created several brand-new fanzines.

Workshops were a key part in this process; looking at an archive of historic fanzines and then finding ways of developing and shaping the contemporary equivalents. Dave ran eight workshops in total with 40+ people attending and contributing. They were aged between 11 and 40, from diverse backgrounds and skillsets. There were journalism students, designers, illustrators, writers, artists, developers, editors, and young musicians.

During the Festival’s Celebration Day (3rd March), Dave Haslam delivered a talk in the Friends Meeting House which sketched the history of Manchester alternative music press, and later the same day he chaired a panel featuring Mike Don, Liz Naylor, and Bob Dickinson. The panel event took place in the Town Hall, and was hosted in partnership with the Manchester District Music Archive. 176 people attended the event.

The final part of the project is the ambitious attempt to digitise Manchester’s fanzine archive. This material will be brought together as an online exhibition to be launched on the Manchester District Music Archive in the Autumn of 2012 with a number of events planned to coincide with the exhibition, including one at the refurbished Manchester Gallery at the Manchester Art Gallery.

30 Celebration Day Exhibitions, Manchester Town Hall CASE STUDY 4 - COMMUNITY HISTORY AWARDS

The Community History Awards entries were shortlisted by a Panel of Judges chaired by BBC North west Tonight’s Ranvir Singh. Cash prizes (£750 to winners and £250 to recommendations) were awarded at the Awards evening on Friday 2 March to two different groups:

Community Awards

WINNER: Zion 100. Community Z-Arts and Terry Wyke, MMU A year long project to celebrate the centenary of what was the Zion Arts Centre at the time. Terry Wyke was Historian in Residence.

JUDGES RECOMMENDATION: Once Upon a Time. Manchester Communication Academy & Collyhurst Tenants Association gathering memories of Collyhurst

JUDGES RECOMMENDATION: Cheetham Church of England Community Academy & the National Football Museum. Exploring migration in Manchester through poetry.

School Awards

WINNER: Meet the Guernsey Evacuees of World War Two. Community Archive for Channel Island Evacuation and Gillian Mawson, University of Manchester

JUDGES RECOMMENDATION: Platt Fields Centenary History Project. Friends of Platt Fields and the Centenary History Project celebrating the centenary of the park

JUDGES RECOMMENDATION: A Portrait of Bury. Derby High School and Bury Museum & Art Gallery. Exhibition exploring the diverse history of Bury.

32 LESSONS This section pulls together the quantitative and New / diverse audiences qualitative data from the Visitor Feedback forms and The evaluation of visitor profiles suggests that MHF the Venue Feedback forms, distilling it into a set of is appealing to new audiences, attracting audiences lessons that MHF should bear in mind going into outside the usual demographic profiles for heritage the the next phase of its programming. Many of the events. The age and ethnicity profiles of MHF 2012 comments arose in answer to the question: “What do were broadly representative of expected audiences you think we could do to improve MHF?” for Manchester events. This provides a good basis for further audience development and for developing Marketing / Publicity programming to reach more diverse audiences, for The vast majority of the comments on the Visitor example Black and Minority Ethnic communities. forms mentioned a lack of marketing and publicity for MHF. Visitors said that they would have liked Participation / Interaction more notice before the festival week to better plan There was a positive reaction to the game events their attendance. Many also mentioned the need for (Larkin’ About), and to the various debates. Many more and wider spread publicity outside of the city visitors asked that next festival makes more centre in the suburbs and Greater Manchester more provision for active engagement and interactivity, widely. rather than passive consumption.

Many visitors also noted the lack of content on the Frequency / Duration MHF website during the run up to the festival week. Some people said that MHF should last for 2 weeks, in to avoid overcrowding the programme. Branding Some visitors were unaware that they were Other visitors asked if MHF could be held annually, attending an MHF event, until they were handed the with the showcase (Town Hall) even occuring evaluation form. This is a risk inherent in allowing biennially. partner organisations to run events without any input or control by MHF.

Timings Some visitors felt they were unable to attend the football events because they were programmed during the Saturday football matches.

Other visitors notes that the schedule was tightly packed, especially for the talks in the Friends’ Meeting House. It was suggested by several people that the popular events are run twice in the future.

Cost There were a number of complaints about the booking fee that was added by external ticketing companies.

There was also a suggestion that visitors should be able to bulk buy tickets to guided walks. At their current price, some saw the price as a real barrier to their participation.

33 RECOMMENDATIONS Value for Universities sample survey, with questions concerning visitor MHF can help universities to fulfil their social spend, activity, origin and group size. responsibility, community engagement and widening participation obligations, through the We also recommend a specific focus on learning facilitation of internships and placements as a outcomes from participants and audiences. The basis for partnership work with heritage and focus for 2012 was on showing the levels of community history organisations and within its engagement and the kinds of people who were own management team. The positive benefits of engaging. Now that MHF has demonstrated it can these opportunities have been fully exploited by attract both traditional and non-traditional history/ UoM and partly exploited by MMU and UoS. Future heritage attenders, it should aim to show the depth negotiations should take this into account. and breadth of that engagement through further qualitative survey and research methods.. More specifically, MHF offers opportunities to bring academics together with the public and with New methods of engagement specialist interest groups, providing a platform for Interactive, creative, and participatory activities networking, engagement and potential research like Larkin’ About’s pervasive games, Histonauts2, development. It is also a way for academics to profile Manchester 100 Years Ago, and talks/debates like their research in new and different ways, subscribing Dave Haslam’s Fanzines Panel and the Football to the MHF’s emphasis on innovative methodologies Debate all succeeded in attracting and pleasing a for engaging and developing heritage audiences, and non-traditional history/heritage audience. Parallel to becoming part of a larger Greater Manchester-wide this, the rest of the programme met the needs of a community of interest. more traditional audience.

There is the potential for the Festival to help MHF should strive to continue to engage new academics achieve and demonstrate research audiences without alienating current ones. From impact and undertake knowledge exchange with the feedback received, there is clearly considerable local community groups and amateur historians. potential in these new methods of engagement, and With appropriate design and resources, evaluation of there is a case for increasing their scope and profile future Festival activities should aim to capture longer in the future. term effects and impacts for participants, which can help to show the relationship between research, Building links with schools dissemination, engagement and social, cultural and Manchester has a rich offer for schools, which economic effects and values. has been greatly helped by the continued work of Renaissance North West. As such there is already There are also many opportunities for students from a lot of work being done in the history/heritage all three universities to get involved as volunteers, sector. It is the job of MHF to build on this existing through placements, and running projects. work rather than attempt to replace or duplicate it. A strength of MHF lies in its ability to make and Future evaluation facilitate connections with and between the variety We recommend ring-fencing the resource for of groups who are involved in work with schools in attaining a more comprehensive estimation of Manchester; and in this capacity it should continue economic impact/visitor spend for future festivals. its commitment to schools and education in The leverage figures that we were able to produce Manchester. with limited resources could be supported using visitor spend data augmented by STEAM data to Partnerships calculate the value of visitor categories, and make Much of the value of MHF is unlocked through further estimations of direct and indirect impacts. the strong partnerships it makes with history, This would require more dedicated resource for a heritage, and cultural organisations. These 34 existing partnerships should be strengthened, and Manchester’s statutory and voluntary institutions and new partnerships should be created. There is also groups to encourage public and expert engagement scope for developing partnerships with commercial with Manchester histories. The Festival has proved enterprises, providing a bridge between the private a remarkably effective vehicle for delivering and sector and the academic/third sector, and giving building that collaboration, as the success of MHF businesses the opportunity to fulfill their CSR 2012 shows. There is scope and encouragement for requirements. much further development (for a wider geographical basis, for continuing work with schools, and for Network more events throughout each year) as well as for The feedback from the partner organisations and the Celebration days which serve so well to connect smaller heritage organisations exhibiting on the groups and raise the profile of Manchester heritage. Celebration Day highlighted the importance of MHF The MHF therefore plays a central role in galvanising as a networking space, and as an organisation that and realising the Manchester Histories Strategy. brings groups together. In the future MHF should look at developing more formal networking opportunities, either online or in person, and encouraging groups to work together on specific projects.

Strategy There is a rich landscape of groups, institutions, networks and individuals in Manchester who share an interest in the city’s histories, and who want to celebrate and share their interests, value and learning with others. These interests are longstanding and precede the Manchester Histories Festival. They attract varying levels of resource, ranging from the individual hobbyist investing their own time and labour, to the national museum securing public funding, to the local community group, to the university with one of the largest History departments in the UK.

Many of these interests came together for the first MHF in 2009 and the network has been substantially extended in 2012. The model is now ripe for further development particularly in the context of increased appetite for strategic collaboration offering a potential axis for sharing and levering further resources. Manchester is now gearing up for key anniversary dates; and the completion of major capital developments in the city from 2014 will further enrich the cultural heritage infrastructure and profile.

The Manchester Histories Strategy, Manchester Manifest, was developed by the city council and its partners in response to the 2009 Festival, recognising the continuing need for collaboration between 35 Dave Haslam at the Fanzines debate, Manchester Town Hall APPENDICES LIST OF VOLUNTEERS LIST OF PARTNERS Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre & Ellie Edmonds [MA Placement] Education Trust Administration for Mcr Community History Awards Ancient Eqypt Magazine Ltd/ Empire Publications Anthropology: University of Manchester Jessica Ings Anti-Slavery International Manchester Exhibition and Celebration Day Co-ordination Arts for Health, MIRIAD, Manchester Metropolitan University Zora Kuettner Brian Selby for Belle Vue Zoological Gardens Event Management & Celebration Day Coordination Centre for Arts Management and Cultural Policy Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Rebecca Lowson [MA Placement] Medicine Event Coordination and Volunteer Coordinator Cheetham Church of England Community Academy Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Jenny Oakenfull Council for British Archaeology North West Social Media Manager Development Education Project Didsbury Civic Society English Heritage Mary Allen Faith Network 4 Manchester Lee Ashworth Finding Manchester Amelia Bayliss Friends of Clayton Park Leah Bleakley Friends of Kersal Moor/Street Museum Juliette Donaldson Friends of Longford Park Frances Devine Friends of Northenden Riverside Park Lily Dong Friends of Platt Fields Hayley Flynn Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People Suzanne Grieve Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum Agnieszka Grusznis Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives Florence Holmes Heaton Park Astronomy Group Tilly Howarth Heritage Lottery Fund Wing Yee Li Historical Association Bolton Branch Jessica Anne Manfield Historypin (We Are What We Do) Alistair Martindale International Brigade Memorial Trust Freya McCracken International New Arrivals, Travellers & Alisa McKeown Supplementary School Team Lynne O’Sullivan Lancashire and Ceshire Antiquarian Society/CILIP Egle Peleckaite Local Studies Group North West Sameera Rafiq Lancaster Local History Federation Claire Robinson Levenshulme Personal & Community History Group Angela Seagar MANCENT Suzanne Short Mancheser Chinese Centre Jesspreet Thethi Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society Liz Thorpe Manchester and Salford Ramblers Lucy Woolley Manchester Branch of the Inland Waterways Jane Woodall Association Barry Worthington Manchester Centre for Regional History, Manchester Jakub Wyszkowski Metropolitian University Manchester Civic Society 37 Manchester Guided Tour Manchester Health Academy Manchester Historic Buildings Trust and Gaskall Society Manchester Jewish Museum Manchester Metropolitian University Archaeolgy Department Manchester Modernist Society Manchester Sport History Manchester University Press Manchester YMCA MMU Special Collections Modern History, Visit Manchester Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust and Gorton Heritage Trail Group Museum of Lanchashire Museum of Transport Greater Manchester National Co-Operative Archive North West Labour History Society Nuclear Free Manchester Peak and Northern Footpaths Society Peterloo Memorial Campaign Salford Heritage Services South Manchester Tactical Society Stockport Historical Society/Middleton CNIC Association Tameside Local Studies and Archives The Big Art People The Centre for Applied Archaeology The Halle The John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester The Kindling Trust The Pankhurst Centre The Portico Library The Royal Northern College of Music The University of Manchester History Department The Victorian Society The Whitworth Art Gallery Together Trust Tony Richards Troubadour Cultural Heritage Foundation Wai Yin Chinese Women Society Working Class Movement Library Worsley Civic Trust and Amenity Society

38