SOMERSET Rural Life MUSEUM SOMERSET RURAL LIFESOMERSET MUSEUM Rural Life MUSEUM PROJECTINTERPRETIVESOMERSET REPORT SOMERSET Heritage Service First World War RESPONSERURAL Centenary Project APRIL 2015 October 2015 LIFE MUSEUMEvaluation PROJECTINTERPRETIVE REPORT Report RESPONSE APRIL 2015 October 2015 Somerset Fairfield Somerset Building Remembers Preservation Trust Trust The First World War Fairfield Somerset Building Trust SOMERSET RURALPreservation LIFE Trust MUSEUM PROJECT REPORT APRIL 2015 SOUTH WEST HERITAGE TRUST SOMERSET RURAL LIFE MUSEUM PROJECT REPORT APRIL 2015 SOUTH WEST HERITAGE TRUST Introduction This report evaluates the ‘Somerset Remembers’ project, run by the South West Heritage Trust/Somerset County Council from January 2013 to September 2015. ‘Somerset Remembers’ was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as part of the ‘Your Heritage’ grant scheme. The project was built around the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War that took place in 2014. The report provides a summary of ‘Somerset Remembers’ and explores how the project was delivered, the differences that were made and what has been learned. What We Wanted to Happen ‘Somerset Remembers’ aimed to explore the impact and long-term effect of the conflict on the county, and look at the many ways in which Somerset people, their families and communities have remembered the Great War. At the heart of ‘Somerset Remembers’ was an ambition to connect individuals and organisations with the First World War, by providing people with the opportunity to commemorate and learn about the war that changed Somerset forever. Many ideas influenced the way the project was shaped and developed. But one of the most important was the desire to reveal Somerset’s First World War story, a subject frequently overlooked by historians and heritage organisations connected to the county. The overarching aims of the project were to: • provide people with opportunities to connect with the First World War and to learn about its impact on Somerset and its people; • pay tribute to the sacrifice and contribution made by Somerset people during and after the First World War; • enable people to explore the impact of the war on their families and communities; • create a lasting legacy by developing activities that would contribute to the ongoing commemoration and understanding of the First World War in the county. We wanted the project to engage Somerset people through: • Participating in the development of information, resources, web pages, activities and exhibitions throughout the project. • Volunteering to digitise Somerset records and associated materials relating to the First World War and to assist with the creation of exhibition content and the project publication. • Connecting with the First World War through a large-scale temporary exhibition at The Museum of Somerset, a community-based touring exhibition and web pages (with social media feeds) for an online community archive. • Sharing memories, records and artefacts to extend our collective knowledge of the First World War experiences of Somerset people. • Enjoying and experiencing a range of learning activities and events, targeted at different audiences, including local people, families and schools. Somerset Remembers was a 1. What multi-dimensional, complex heritage project with ambitious aims and a variety of outcomes Actually for heritage, people and communities. This section of the report will explore how the project Happened was managed and the difference it made. Planning Work on developing the project and full HLF application focused on the Activity Plan. This document was divided into the various phases of the project and areas of activity, for example exhibitions. Each entry was analysed against the project aims and was the result of in-depth discussion with key project staff. The document informed the creation of the programme and helped the team gain a full understanding of the resources required to deliver the project. The submission of an ‘Expression of Interest’ to the HLF South West was the beginning of a more formal phase of development. Development Phase Work on developing the project and full HLF application focused on the Activity Plan. This document was divided into the various phases of the project and areas of activity, for example exhibitions. Each entry was analysed against the project aims and was the result of in-depth discussion with key project staff. The document informed the creation of the programme and helped the team gain a full understanding of the resources required to deliver the project. The Activity Plan was the key document within the project. Although its content was modified as the programme developed, it served as an important blueprint for the project. The shared approach to creating the document resulted in a balanced project that was clearly understood by the project group. Partnerships with other organisations, such as the Somerset Military Museum Trust, were established during this phase of the project. Project partners were selected because of their ability to help meet the project’s overall aims as well as their enthusiasm and interest in the First World War. Delivery Phase – Project Team Once funding was confirmed, a project group was set up to oversee the development and delivery of the ‘Somerset Remembers’ project. The group comprised staff from a range of disciplines within the South West Heritage Trust. Monthly project group meetings were used to monitor the development of the various elements of the project and ensure the effective management of the project budget and programme. The project group had responsibility for identifying, monitoring and managing risks to the project. The project group also discussed and agreed any changes or additions to the project. Planning for specific areas of the project was undertaken by small teams who worked on a specific area of activity. Each of these teams was led by a member of the project group who reported on progress at monthly project group meetings. ‘Somerset Remembers’ was seen as a development opportunity for staff directly involved in delivering the project. The project group involved senior managers who helped direct the project through contributions at monthly project group meetings. However, the day-to-day management and running of the project was undertaken by a team of more junior staff members, who were seeking to gain new skills and competencies. ‘Somerset Remembers’ demanded the creation of a new post to support the development and delivery of the project. Freya Ward, the ‘Somerset Remembers’ Project Officer, took up this role in June 2013. Delivery Phase – Sta - Sam Astill, Curator, Project Lead - Liz Grant, Archivist - Helen Claydon, Design Officer - Freya Ward, Project Officer - Leah Whiting, Marketing Officer - Lizzie Mee, Formal Learning Officer - John French, Informal Learning Officer Each member of the project group was responsible for managing a specific element of the project linked to their specialism and background. Informal support and advice were provided by senior managers who also attended project group meetings. Project Timetable The timetable was built around the Activity Plan. Initial work completed during the development phase was extremely successful in providing a framework to deliver the project to an agreed timetable and budget. During the delivery phase the overall programme was managed by the Project Lead and monitored at Project Group Meetings. Key milestones were identified at the start of the project. For example, the opening of the main exhibition at The Museum of Somerset was recognised as a vital moment within the project. As a result, an intensive programme of work was organised at the start of the project to ensure enough time was given to this central component of the project. The multi-faceted nature of the project meant that many areas of the project were inter-dependent. For example, the ‘Somerset Remembers’ schools programme relied on a clear sense of the exhibition content. In turn, the exhibition content was reliant on the completion of volunteer research. Somerset Remembers was a 2. Difference multi-disciplinary heritage project which focused on museum collections, archives and the Made to historic environment. The project made a significant difference to Somerset’s First World War Heritage heritage through research, exhibitions and events. New Research Somerset’s First World War history has been largely neglected by the county’s historians. The programme of volunteer research undertaken as part of the project has led to a new understanding of the county’s First World War story. Research carried out at the Somerset Heritage Centre revealed the impact of the conflict on agriculture, food and the rural economy. Volunteers also uncovered new information about role of Somerset women and children through the analysis of the Parish Returns collection. Research particularly highlighted the severe strain put on government services, hospitals and schools, as well as the localised nature of military recruiting in 1914. Overall the project resulted in a greater knowledge of the diverse ways the conflict affected daily life in Somerset. This research informed the development of events, learning activities, online activity and exhibitions associated with ‘Somerset Remembers’. Much of the research carried out by volunteers is now available online via the ‘Somerset Remembers’ Community Archive. People from all over the world are now able to access and explore sources