West Northants to celebrate Local and Community History Month

The library will be hosting a community history fayre on May 17, from 10am to 4pm inside the Gathering Space at the Grosvenor Shopping Centre in Northampton, where 11 local groups will have stands and be available to talk to anyone interested in learning more.

The aim of the month is to increase awareness of local history and promote history in general, whilst engaging with local communities and helping them to discover more about the area where they live.

Groups attending on the day will include Delapré Abbey, Northamptonshire Family History Society, 78 Derngate, Heritage Hunters and more.

The library’s monthly Reading Friends session will take place from 11am to midday, with this month’s session featuring a special Q&A discussion from the Delapré Abbey Cluniac Research Group on how they combated loneliness throughout the pandemic with their collective interest in the Cluniac Abbey.

The Radical History group will also be present to give a talk about the suffragette movement in Northamptonshire, taking place at 1pm.

In addition, The Northampton Central Library local studies department, Discover, will be showcasing their work and talking to residents about the information and resources they can access through the library.

"West Northamptonshire has a rich historical past which has played an important role in our nation's history since medieval times.

“Whether it's traditions and tales from around the county or your own family history, learning about our past and how it has shaped our society can help us to become stronger and more unified communities today. 

“I hope that people will come along to this event and enjoy discovering more about the wonderful history of West Northamptonshire."Councillor Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure

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