Forgotten Fields has just completed the second of its 2011 food heritage calendars. Five hundred calendars are being distributed to residents of Ashton-under-Lyne, highlighting the amazing heritage of Ashton Moss in feeding the City.
The new calendar is a 'work of art', created with the help of pupils from Aldwyn Primary School, and we've had great feedback from the community about the project itself.
Two such comments (see below) are typical of the value local residents place on the opportunity to explore an area's food heritage:
" Working on the Forgotten Fields project has been a fantastic opportunity for learning at Aldwyn Primary School. It has enabled children of different age groups to work together and for us to make visits to meet people who work,or whose ancestors have worked, to produce food for the local community. The visitors into school have taught us much about how people lived in the past in our local area.
It was particularly exciting to discover that pupils here had family links to Ashton Moss and food production.
It has truly been a living history experience resulting in memories,display and of course the wonderful calendar." Caroline Charnock, Deputy head at Aldwyn Primary, Ashton-under-Lyne.
"The project was an excellent example of how children with adult support can contribute towards the writing and presentation of new and unique history.
It also illustrated the importance of inter generational cooperation in producing recent history. It really was exciting to talk to young people whose grandparents and other family members had a connection with the area of research, and the boost they received from the school and project's acknowledgement that their family had played a significant
role in the history of the area.
Thank you for taking the initiative. Without projects such as this great swathes of the lives of ordinary men and women would be lost. The project has given clear indications of what is possible and the school now must build on this experience to the benefit of the children and the community the school serves." Maurice Smith, Tameside Bough Council.
Forgotten Fields is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It focuses on the heritage of food production and availability in Manchester from 1750’s to present day, concentrating on six communities from across Greater Manchester who have expressed a need to explore a particular food heritage.