The Longfield Hall Trust has been awarded an £8,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, writes Joe Wallen.
The funding will enable the Trust to run a community project at the Grade II listed Longfield Hall in Myatt’s Field, called “Showcasing Our History – Longfield Hall Through Time”.
Young people between aged 10 and 14 will conduct research into the development of their neighbourhood and the history of the community hall.
Catherine Hamilton, charity development manager at Longfield Hall Trust said: “We are really excited to be able to offer young people in the Myatt’s Fields area an opportunity to explore and learn about their neighbourhood.
“We can’t wait to see what their curiosity and creativity will bring to the final performance. It will be a chance for young people to work together to create something for the whole community to experience.”
The project has received the backing of local writer S.I. Martin, who will lead the sessions at the Lambeth Archives in June. Martin’s work focuses on Black British history and literature.
The teenagers will use their research findings to produce a dance and drama performance celebrating local history at Longfield Hall on 29 July.
Workshops will be run by dance teacher and choreographer Louisa McAlpine and drama teacher Camilla De Quetteville.
Project funding will also be used for oral history interviews with local residents. Longfield Hall is looking to contact anyone with memories of growing up in the Myatts Fields area or who attended Longfield Hall between the 1950s and the 1970s.
In particular the project would like to speak to anyone involved with the UK’s first black theatre company “Dark and Light”.
The Hall has had a range of uses throughout its history, even temporarily housing a local secondary school for girls, but for most of its existence it has hosted community events.
Today it houses 20 regular user groups, including the McAlpine Dance School and The Nest Pre-School, with over 700 people using the hall every week.
By the early 1990s the hall was under threat of closure and possible sell-off by Lambeth council. Community volunteers established The Friends of Longfield Hall (FoLH) whose aim was to preserve the hall for community use.
In January 2010 the organisation became a registered charity and in 2014, was renamed the Longfield Hall Trust.
The Heritage Lottery Fund invests money to help people across the whole of the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about, including historic buildings.
The dance and drama performance on 29 July is free. For information about the workshops or the event contact Longfield Hall Trust on 020 7978 9153.
