A HISTORY project in Hulme involved more than 2,000 people in celebrating their community’s past.
Zion 100 is an award-winning research project led by Terry Wyke and Alan Kidd to increase community cohesion and integration in Hulme. The project centred on the centenary of a chapel now used as the Z-Arts Centre.
The case study project began with an exhibition including previously unseen photographs of Hulme. This led to a study “revealing the diverse and changing roles of the Congregational Church among an increasingly working-class population from the early nineteenth century onwards and explaining to present-day residents why the building had survived in a district that had undergone three major waves of development since 1900.”
Members of the local community were encouraged to become involved by taking part in oral history training and then helping capture stories told by local people. This was supplemented by material brought in by local people on “archive days” or posted to a dedicated website.
Major events
The project culminated in two events, an exhibition displaying diaries and other artefacts from the community and a series of amateur historical re-enactments each relating to a different decade from the building’s history.
These included a 1940s street party and a film night. The final event, a theatrical re-enactment of key moments in the history of the building, involved more than 100 participants and 300 audience members.
Liz O’Neill, CEO of Z-Arts, said: “It increased our profile quite substantially.
“The audience and participation targets which we set at the start of the project felt like quite a challenge, so to have exceeded them by almost doubling audience members for the year is evidence of how beneficial the project was for increasing awareness of our organisation, the work we do in general and the history of the building.”
Increased pride
Talking about Zion 100 and an earlier project, Moving Memories, Niall Power, from City South Housing Association, said: “In my time working within Hulme and Moss Side I have attended many events that claim to capture the essence of these very unique places.
“I can without hesitation say that both these projects did capture something very valuable, but as importantly did so in a way which involved people from a range of backgrounds giving them a sense of ownership and indeed increased pride.
“Legacy is a much overused word. But these two projects have lived on in the minds of those who attended for which we are all grateful.”
In 2012, the project won the inaugural ‘Manchester Communities History Award’ at the Manchester Histories Festival.
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