Our Heritage
To share the stories of LGBT people in the area, educational packs were created which included images, research and personal stories. These were provided to 83 local schools. Ongoing support and training was also delivered as part of the school curriculum.
Volunteers were trained in oral history skills, and recorded and transcribed eight personal and detailed accounts of LGBT lives from the community.
The project culminated in a three-month display at Reading Museum, which featured items of key moments in LGBT history including:
- Oscar Wilde’s prison cell key
- a 2012 Olympic Torch belonging to an LGBT torch bearer
- audible accounts of recent LGBT history, spanning the past four decades
Over 30,000 visitors attended the exhibition.
The project enabled Support U to develop strong relationships with a variety of organisations, from schools to the NHS, GP surgeries and other regional museums.
Copies of the research, education packs and oral histories are now in Reading Museum’s permanent collection and will feature in temporary displays.