Tell them your tales

THERE is now a new scheme by Canal & River Trust, this time to create a history of people's tales of their activities and memories of the waterways.

The point is to record these for posterity in the national waterways archive, it states 'to keep the story of the waterways alive for generations to come'.

Remarkable period

Debbie Lumb, Head of Museums and Attractions, tells us:

"It's a decade since such a project was undertaken, and it was not to this scale. As the guardian of the nation's waterways and of the national waterway archive we have a responsibility to collect these stories for future historians and students. More important than that, recent generations have lived through some of the most remarkable periods in the waterways' history and it would be a tragedy if these stories were lost.

"‘Whether you were involved in the Droitwich restoration, fought in the Battle of Stourbridge, have legged through Standedge Tunnel or were one of the last people to practice commercial horse-boating, we would love to hear from you. Please come forward and share with us the role the canals have played in your life."

Recording sessions

The Trust will be holding a series of story recording sessions throughout the year at its five museums and attractions. There will be a sound booth and trained volunteers ready and waiting to capture people's stories at these events.

A team of 15 volunteers has also been specially trained with mobile recording equipment and will travel to meet anyone with an interesting story to tell in order to record their memories for the purpose of archiving them.

Request a visit

You can request a visit from one of the oral history volunteers or suggest an interviewee by completing an online form:

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/twentieth-century-voices

Written memories and photos can also be uploaded to the website.