Communities across Knowsley are getting the opportunity to tell their stories through cultural events, workshops and artworks, thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In 2022, during Knowsley’s year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture each town and village received funding to celebrate their heritage. Knowsley Village held a parade for the Queens Jubilee which celebrated its links to royalty and the poet Edward Lear. In Cronton, an inflatable solar system reflected the village’s connections to astronomy and Stadt Moers in Whiston hosted an immersive aerial and pyrotechnic performance.
As part of the legacy of that year and thanks to National Lottery players, the National Lottery Heritage fund awarded £181,000 to support seven further projects in each of the borough’s towns and villages.
The Huyton Boys and their 1971 English FA Schools Cup victory was celebrated as part of Borough of Culture in 2022, with a reunion of the team, a commemorative film and the launch of a book, Huyton Titans. The group have gone on to set up a Community Interest Company (CIC) with the aim of helping children and young people to pursue and realise their dreams, drawing inspiration from the Huyton Boys team’s narrative to demonstrate the power of ambition.
Through the ‘Every Town and Village Tells its Story’ project, Team ’71 CIC were able to run a pilot programme with pupils from St Joseph’s Primary in Huyton with a three day series of activities, encompassing local history, healthy eating and lifestyle, the importance of joining a team over a gang, creative writing, and more.
In Halewood, the Nature Neighbours project delivered by Heart of Glass in collaboration with artists Juneau Projects saw members of the public invited to create clay sculptures that represent the wildlife found in the area these have then been cast in metal and painted and will be installed into Halewood parks and green spaces in the new year, forming the Nature Neighbours sculpture trail.
The Cronton Gala committee were awarded funding to capture the essence of the long-running Gala. At this years Gala, the committee commissioned visual minute-taker Becky Bryson to attend the event and capture some of the special moments.
The finished artwork has been printed on large vinyl panels that now adorn the windows of Cronton Parish Council offices, Further work will take place next year with the gala committee to realise ambitions to grow and add to the much-loved Cronton Gala.
The Friends of Stadt Moers planned and delivered a project at the park called ‘The Stories of Stadt Moers’ throughout the first half of the year. The project explored the rich history of the park and surrounding area, as well as Knowsley’s connections to its twin town of Stadt Moers in Germany.
The group researched local history, working with partners and the community to capture stories from the area. These were then made into interpretation boards to display throughout the park, telling the story from farmland to railways, landfill to church buildings and brickworks, as well as a timeline, which is on display in the Environment Centre.
A special Heritage Day was held at the park in July, with over 750 people visiting to bring the stories to life with climbing walls, willow weaving, pottery and walking tours that reflected on the past, the present and the future of Stadt Moers park.
Cllr Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council said: “There is culture, history and heritage in every inch of our borough and through projects like this we are able to uncover the stories and experiences of our communities and commit them to a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.”
There are still more exciting projects to come in 2025 in Kirkby, Prescot, Stockbridge Village and Knowsley Village.
