Disability West Lothian Wins Heritage Lottery Fund Support

‘Back to the Future West Lothian’

Disability West Lothian has received an award of £79,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to undertake an exciting new project, ‘Back to the Future West Lothian’. The two-year project will create a unique oral history archive focusing on disability in West Lothian since before WWII. Here, around 30 local volunteers and 60 school pupils will receive professional oral history training and interview 50+ respondents who have experiences of disability. We will offer opportunities for cross-generational exploration of experiences and compare any similarities and differences from the past with more recent experiences. Key themes are disability and: youth; education; outings; transport; events; etc. We are particularly keen to explore how people with disabilities have shaped and influenced West Lothian’s landscapes and buildings, just as these have influenced and shaped them.

The interviews will be audio or video recorded and deposited with an authorised repository in West Lothian at the end of the project. Additional volunteers and students will work with Dr Sue Morrison, an oral historian, and a film maker and be supported to produce a variety of heritage outputs, including filmed interviews, videos addressing the project’s main themes, website content and reading packs, an oral history-based booklet and a host of interactive public engagement events.

This innovative project, ‘Back to the Future West Lothian’, will capture the history of disability, challenges, successes and hopes.

Lucy Casot, Head of HLF Scotland, said “Thanks to National Lottery players, HLF has been able to invest over £8 million in 64 projects across West Lothian but there is the potential to do much more. This is why it is one of our priority areas where we are encouraging organisations and communities to bring us their heritage project ideas and make the most of the lottery grants available.”

 

For further information and to participate, please contact Mr Gordon Mungall, Chair, Disability West Lothian:  Tel: 01506 774030.  Email:administrator@disabilitywestlothian.org