Hands On Heritage Day 2024

It was hands-on history for all at Mansfield Central Library on Saturday 18 May 2024!

Visitors arrived between 10am and 2pm to take part in hands-on activities including traditional circus skills, a virtual reality coal mining experience, and amazing archaeology! Heritage societies and organisations from across the county brought local and family history displays, pop-up museums, publications for sale, old Nottinghamshire photographs, maps and more.

Participating groups included: 

• Bassetlaw Museum
• Blidworth and District Historical and Heritage Society
• Bob Massey History
• Cee Notts
• D. H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum
• Farnsfield Local History Society
  
• Inspire Learning
• Keyworth & District Local History Society
• Kirkby & District Archaeological Group
• Little Creatives Artist Workshops (for under 5's) 
• Mine2Minds Education 
• Nottingham City Council Museums: Newstead Abbey
• Nottinghamshire Archives
• Nottinghamshire Family History Society
• Nottinghamshire Historic Environment Record and Historic Buildings Team
• Nottinghamshire Mining Museum
• Nottinghamshire Music Hub
• Nottinghamshire Victory; Education
• Old Mansfield Society
• David James (A Man’s Destination film about Laxton, 2019)
• Sutton Heritage Society
• The Joker Entertainment (Circus Skills Workshop)
• Thoroton Society
  
• University of Nottingham (Nottingham Voices)
• University of Nottingham Museum and Manuscripts and Special Collections

The library hosted live music throughout the day from the Red Hot Band and the Inspire Choir as well as a special film showing of a Hip Hop dance theatre piece called ‘Mother of Tension’. Mother of Tension was part of the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, a national partnership programme of 20 artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict. Led by Imperial War Museums, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund was created following the success of 14-18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary.