A short film showing how railway track was laid in the days before ‘elf and safety went mad.

An educational movie about jobs available within the railways of Great Britain during the mid/late 1940′s. Covers some of the less glamourous jobs withing the railways including cleaning locomotives, station work and other behind the scenes activities which were the starting point of your career in those days

Escape the smoggy city and join this colourful 1950s tour around England’s Peak District courtesy of British Transport Films. Robert Shaw provides the soothing narration.

This report provides an evaluation of the ‘Our Working Lives’ project assessing whether the project met its aims and objectives and discussing lessons based on comments by participants, museum staff and volunteers.

The evaluation identifies that a wealth of stories and heritage awaits capture; that local networks and knowledge are vital for the successful involvement of communities and individuals; and that sufficient time needs to be allowed within projects for volunteer development and for contributors, particularly if they are elderly.

Feedback from the participants indicates an enthusiastic response to the project. ‘Brilliant’ one contributor commented, while another elaborated; “These oral histories allow people to learn what life was like in those days. It tells everyone what school, working life and the hardship of life was like all those years ago.”
The project adopted a balance of encouragement and practical support that was appreciated by participants. One contributor mentioned how this type of historical scene settings is ‘an engaging way for people to take things in’.

The project has shown how using digital stories can meet community and heritage needs and the agendas of local and central government. As a technique digital storytelling can build skills and offers a direct way of meeting HLF’s strategic objective of ‘Involving more people in decisions about heritage and in taking responsibility for identifying, sharing and caring for heritage’.

Our Working Lives evaluation (PDF download 2Mb)

This project and the ‘Way We Worked’ exhibition at Poole Museum have been featured in a double page spread in Bournemouth Echo last Tuesday November 15 issue.