“Histories should be shared and enjoyed”

Manchester Histories helps bridge the gap between academic and amateur historians to put people in the driving seat of their local heritage

Claire Turner — Former Chief Executive of Manchester Histories

The first Manchester Histories Festival, led by the late Professor John Pickstone, was a one-day celebration held in 2009. John’s vision was that histories should be shared and enjoyed, and we continue to be driven by that mantra today.

That said, things have changed significantly since John’s time at the helm. We very much started as something academic, research-based and from and of the universities. Although the individuals involved — as was very much the case with John — supported local campaigns and acknowledged the importance of people in heritage, it was generally a serious and traditional approach to histories. So many people have been put off history by their school days and the resulting understanding of heritage as being about kings and queens, battles and blue plaques.

Manchester Histories today is about a much more dynamic type of heritage, which recognises all stories and perspectives as equally important, and especially the social impact and wellbeing benefits that have been proven as a result of engaging in histories and heritage. We have transitioned from that initial partnership to an independent charity, and although we still have a strong relationship with both founding universities, it is on a more equal and mutually beneficial footing.

Success for us isn’t about building a huge monolith type of organisation with hundreds of ‘expert staff’, but to have enough resources to meet demand, recognising that the skills we need exist within our communities, and that our role is to build confidence in people, facilitate learning and create new connections.

One of the things we hear a lot is from people who are volunteering or engaging with heritage through a personal interest is that they are not ‘real’ historians or researchers.

There is a TV programme on at the moment called ‘Mozart in the Jungle’ where one of the characters says “but I am just an amateur”, and another explains that the word amateur comes from the Latin for ‘to love’. Getting over this self-effacing perception that voluntary or interest is somehow less valid or valuable than paid or academic work is one of our biggest challenges.

Our ‘Hidden Histories’ project seeks to go some way toward addressing this by bringing individuals and communities across Greater Manchester together as a support network, sharing experiences, learning and resources, creating critical mass and sparking new approaches, collaborations and ideas. Critically, it is a route for overcoming isolation, whether that be personal isolation or feeling isolated dealing with a particular challenge — because the chances are that other people have been there before.

The vision for Manchester Histories is to put people in the driving seat; to enable and empower people across Greater Manchester to influence decisions around their histories and their heritage, and importantly what they want their histories of tomorrow to be. It’s about people’s voices being valued and their stories being told, preserved and celebrated. We are here to make sure that happens.

Manchester Histories is a small charity that transforms lives through histories and heritage, by revealing, sharing and celebrating the unique stories and moments about Greater Manchester. Established in 2009 as a partnership between The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, it now operates as an independent charity, delivering projects and events throughout the year, including the Manchester Community Histories Awards and the biennial Manchester Histories Festival, a 10-day programme of inspirational and celebratory events, exhibitions, music, film, debate and performance.