History Project

We are currently working on a project that is based upon the life and times of Walter Tull.

Walter was born in 1888 and died in 1918. Walters’ life was one of significance and impact. The achievements and successes he attained in his lifetime are made more poignant and outstanding when you understand the barriers and challenges he must have faced.

We have used Walter’s story for a number of years as an inspirational tool, not just for the children we work with, but to drive ourselves to overcome barriers to meet our own personal and organisational goals.

There are a few individuals and organisations that have looked at Walters’ story and some fantastic research has already been done.

Our aim is to put Walters Story firmly in the context of his time and to explore the world and the people around him. We will also enable and encourage students to explore their family heritage and history around that time and to understand how and why things have changed and evolved in families and society, both locally and nationally.

Social, Industrial and economic reform in the late Victorian era was rife and there are some fantastic and great links and crossover stories around Walter’s time that would be very interesting to explore, for example, in a time where child poverty, neglect and abuse was common and social reform was not always welcomed. Walter and his brother Edward found themselves in a children’s home that was at the forefront of the reform movement – It was even to become the NCH headquarters and it is likely that Walter and Edward would have been in the company and care of some of the most important and influential reformists of the time.

Today, the organisation has grown and evolved into Action for Children. It runs almost 450 centres across the UK and last year supported 170,000 of the country’s most vulnerable children, young people and their families.

This is just one small example of the history and context that Walters story belongs to, there are many other exiting and relevant aspects, for instance around his family life, education and both his military and football career.

The time period of 1888 -1918 is relatively recent history and there is a wealth of information available to us and there is so much to discover. Every aspect we investigate brings new and exciting links and information.

We are very excited to be able to be a part of this project, and we are very privileged to have the support of Walters Family. It is also a great responsibility to protect and preserve such a great story and one that we hold dear.

We are looking to attract volunteers and contributors in all shapes and forms, from historians and Elders to archivists and individuals with links and a desire to explore such a rich and interesting history. We are also looking for individuals to assist with workshops and visits. CRB checks will be necessary for anyone working with children, and we can accommodate these checks and expenses.

We have a number of themes that we are gathering information around and these are listed on the following documents.

If you would like to be a part of the project or have a specific link or interest then it would be great to hear from you. We are also looking for additional funding to expand our research so would welcome any partnerships or sponsorships that may arise.

If you have any questions or want any further information and support – please contact me on the following number:

Beresford Lee
Project Manager
beresfordlee@blueyonder.co.uk
07836312000

Jan Capel
Project Coordinator
jan.capel@waltertull.com
07790822425 Tuesday – Thursday

Lloyd Russell
Project Coordinator
lloyd.russell@waltertull.com

Project Objectives:

The main aim of our project is to produce an educational pack for use in schools and learning environments around Bristol and the South West, we will also be sharing the pack further in digital form. We have many resources available, and the support and access to some great sources.

We would welcome as much feedback from educationalists and students as possible to enable us to produce a useable and valuable resource. It will be an exciting and interesting project and will be a fantastic opportunity for the pupils and the schools involved to be proud of.

We will be assessing and evaluating continuously through the life of the project and would welcome suggestions and sharing of best practice.

Teachers and students will be primarily focussed on historical, local, and personal family research as well as the life and times of Walter Tull. We aim to do this in a way that is not only productive, but is fun and enjoyable too! We are hoping to gather information on:

  • people's memories and experiences
  • histories of people, communities, places and events
  • histories of sporting achievements
  • histories of military & the unsung heroes
  • cultural traditions
  • historic buildings and townscapes
  • collections of items, archives or other materials
  • Sites and artefacts linked to our social, economic and diverse history.

We are currently in Phase one, which is project research: September-October 2009

Themes

Our themes are based around certain aspects of Walters’ life – The schools we are working with have each adopted a theme. We are also asking them to bring important information together in a time line.

Research and Sources

We are looking to obtain as much data as we can around Walters life and around these themes. We would like to provide as many primary sources and links to primary sources as possible to enable the students access to a vast array of resources that can aid them in their research.

Data Collection and Collation of Information

We will be linking and cataloguing as much as we can, with archives, museums and other organisations and societies and any individuals that have relevant information. Where we can we will collate information into resource packs and guides. This is going to be a huge task and anyone that can assist us with this aspect will be most welcome.

Permissions and Acknowledgement

We will endeavour to acknowledge sources be they individuals or organisations, and will be assessing the need for permissions etc, for all the information we publish.

Formatting and production of Learning Resource

We wish to produce the materials in a variety of formats and will be asking for volunteers to assist with the structure and design of these documents and resources.

Further Research and Projects

We have already been approached by individuals and organisations regarding involvement with further projects and future possibilities and we would welcome ideas and suggestions relating to this.