A Steering Group of representatives of local organisations oversaw the project. Part of their role was to ensure that the range of interviewees covered all aspects of Beighton life.

Discover Beighton was run by the team behind Beighton’s successful Time Works sculptures, which celebrate life in the village. Creative regeneration company Eventus secured funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for this venture. The project was delivered by Full Circle, who were based in Beighton as part of the Objective 1 regeneration of the village and managed by Eventus in partnership with Beighton Villages Development Trust.

As well as this website, the project produced:

* 40 oral history interviews,
* a book,
* a village heritage trail,
* a schools resource pack and
* a digital animation project for young people.

discover beighton

Oral History
A team of 8 Community Interviewers carried out interviews with 40 older people in the village to record their memories of life in Beighton.  20 of these interviews have been fully transcribed by 2 local Audio Typists.  The recordings will be preserved in Sheffield Archives and the National Coal Mining Museum.

Community Interviews

Over 20 people have now been interviewed by the team of Community Interviewers. Many thanks to everybody who has given up their time to talk to us. The interviewers, Transcribers and Steering Group (see photo) have all put in a lot of work. Extracts from the interviews will be going on the website soon.

BBC sound editing workshops

The BBC have offered us a free sound editing course so we can make the most of all the audio we are creating. This will include learning to transfer sound from minidisc to the computer, creating sound bites,  adding them to the website, and other audio skills.  The course will be two sessions of three hours each, date to be confirmed. To find out more contact Catherine asap.

Website and Book
Photographs collected from local people, along with written memories, creative writing and interview sound bites. These have been collected together and added to this website.  The website was developed by the International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC) at Liverpool John Moores University www.icdc.org.uk

There is also a commemorative book ‘Our Beighton: Celebrating A Community’. 900 copies were produced and these have all been distributed to people who were involved in the project.  Copies are available to view at Crystal Peaks, Woodhouse and Sheffield Local Studies Libraries. Copies are not available for sale.

Heritage Trail
The buildings and green spaces of Beighton are full of hidden treasures. There are ancient pathways and hedgerows, converted farm buildings and old churches. This project has uncovered the stories behind the everyday surroundings and brought them to life with a heritage trail leading around the village. The trail links to the Trans Pennine Trail. Trail leaflets can be picked up from St Mary’s Church and other venues around the village. You can download the trail, and a large print version, from this website.

Digital Animation Project
Young people were given the chance to find out about their local history and add their own record of life today. They were trained in animation and digital photography so they could add their own spin to views of village life. The animations premiered at the Beighton Village Heritage Fete on 24th July 2005 and you can now watch them on this website.

A School Resource Pack has been developed with local primary schools for use in their classrooms. It ties in with Local History in the National Curriculum.

Partners
Discover Beighton has created links with a range of local, regional and national partners including the Oral History Society, Sheffield and Rotherham Archives, Beighton Historical Society and Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, the National Archives Awareness Campaign, and the National Coal Mining Museum.