“Sparkhill – A Child’s Eye View” is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to deliver a year-long programme of community heritage activities culminating in a heritage focused Festival of Sparkhill in 2025, celebrating the many experiences of childhood in Sparkhill through history!
‘Sparkhill: A Child’s Eye View’ has emerged from the Child Friendly Neighbourhood project. By working with the children who attend our Playschemes and Art Club we are seeking to engage local children and families in the historic experiences of childhood in Sparkhill. The project will focus on three key themes within Sparkhill’s heritage:
- Community Spaces such as nurseries, schools, places of workshop, leisure spaces including Sparkhill Pool and Library.
- Shopping, including exploring shops along the Stratford Road, clothes and grocery shopping, and where pocket money gets spent.
- Green Spaces like the River Cole and Sparkhill Park.
This project will be led by children’s natural curiosity that will be supported by a programme of workshops, local history walks, trips to museums and spaces of heritage and history to provide stimulus and opportunity for research and exploration.
Each group will be paired with an experienced creative practitioner who they will work with to develop and produce an artistic interpretation of their historic research and interests.
The project will culminate in a heritage focused Festival of Sparkhill in 2025, that will showcase the work,research and artwork as well as celebrating the many experiences of childhood in Sparkhill through history.
‘Sparkhill: A Child’s Eye View’ has been made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and we thank the National Lottery players.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.