Whitworth Park Community Archaeology and History Project: An Evaluation Report Sian Jones, Hannah CoBB, Melanie Giles, Ken Shone and Ruth Colton, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Your Heritage Grant, Ref YH-10-05667 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 4 WHAT WE WANTED TO ACHIEVE .............................................................................................. 5 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 WHITWORTH PARK .......................................................................................................................................... 5 PROPOSED ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................................................................... 7 INTENDED OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................................................... 7 FUNDING ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 WHAT HAPPENED ........................................................................................................................... 9 PROJECT MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................. 9 Staffing .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Partnership arrangements .................................................................................................................... 10 Steering Group and project team ........................................................................................................ 12 Timetable ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Health and safety ....................................................................................................................................... 13 PROJECT DELIVERY .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Recruitment of volunteers ...................................................................................................................... 13 Historical research and biodiversity surveys ................................................................................. 14 Archaeological excavations ................................................................................................................... 14 Excavation training and experience for volunteers and students ........................................ 16 Post-excavation activities for volunteers and students ............................................................. 17 School workshops ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Development of learning materials for school worKshops and public engagement .... 19 YAC ................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Open Days ...................................................................................................................................................... 20 Daily site tours ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Oral history ................................................................................................................................................... 21 OUTPUTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 22 Project Blog .................................................................................................................................................. 22 Temporary exhibition – Whitworth ParK: Pleasure, Play and Politics ............................... 22 Public programme events accompanying the exhibition ......................................................... 23 BooKlet ............................................................................................................................................................ 24 Display board ............................................................................................................................................... 25 Archiving ....................................................................................................................................................... 25 ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES/OUTPUTS ............................................................................................................. 25 Lectures and presentations ................................................................................................................... 25 Publications .................................................................................................................................................. 25 Films ................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Live Tweet from the Dig .......................................................................................................................... 26 ‘Dig! Creative Interpretations’ Arts Access project (University of Manchester) ............ 27 Aftermath with John Rylands University Library ........................................................................ 27 DISCUSSION: OUTCOMES, BENEFITS & IMPACT .................................................................. 29 IMPACT ON THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE OF WHITWORTH PARK .............................................. 29 Knowledge and understanding of the parK’s heritage .............................................................. 29 New publically accessible archives relating to Whitworth ParK’s heritage .................... 31 Educational resources ............................................................................................................................. 31 BooKlet and display board ..................................................................................................................... 31 The exhibition .............................................................................................................................................. 31 IMPACT ON THE PROJECT PARTICIPANTS .................................................................................................... 32 Volunteer Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Volunteer Stories – longitudinal studies .......................................................................................... 34 Schools, schoolchildren and YAC ......................................................................................................... 34 2 University students .................................................................................................................................... 37 IMPACT OF SPECIFIC OUTPUTS ON THE WIDER PUBLIC ............................................................................. 38 Exhibition ...................................................................................................................................................... 38 Blog .................................................................................................................................................................. 39 Live Tweet and Storify ............................................................................................................................. 41 BooKlet and display board ..................................................................................................................... 41 IMPACT ON PROJECT PARTNERS ................................................................................................................... 42 FOWP ............................................................................................................................................................... 42 Archaeology Department, University of Manchester ................................................................. 44 Manchester Museum ................................................................................................................................. 45 Whitworth Art Gallery ............................................................................................................................. 46 Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre .................................................................. 47 CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL PROJECT REVIEW ........................................................................ 48 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX