Share your memories of Brixton Rec

Do you have memories of Brixton Rec? A community project to record the energy, tournaments, conferences, exhibitions and parties there over the years needs your help.

Revisiting Brixton Rec plans to create a heritage archive of oral histories, photographs and other digital objects about the often neglected histories of the Rec from its opening in 1985 to today.

Public events where people can bring material to be scanned, photographed and digitised to become part of the project archive are being organised.

The project will focus on four themes:

• Sports leadership
• Art and design
• Social justice
• Conviviality.

Organisers also want to know about your icons – individuals who made your experience at Brixton Rec memorable.

If you have a connection to, or memories of, The Rec and would like to take part, Revisiting Brixton Rec would like to hear from you and will be interviewing people throughout the year.

The archive is part of the Revitalising Brixton’s Rec Quarter project and funded by the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund and Lambeth council.

The project plans to invest in Brixton Station Road and Brixton Rec “to create meaningful improvements for the area’s existing communities of residents and traders, as well as visitors”.

Plans for the heritage archive have been developed in collaboration with muf architecture/art and local groups including the Brixton Market Traders’ Federation, Brixton BID, Brixton Rec User Group, local street traders, Photofusion and Max Roach Adventure Playground.

If you are 18 or over, you can join the group and be paid to attend a short series of workshops, starting in February, to learn how to collect community heritage.

Organisers said there may also be the opportunity to participate in paid work experience at future events recording, curating, exhibiting and archiving memories of the Rec.

To get involved in any aspect of the project above, sign up here

For more information visit the project website or call/text/WhatsApp 07966 878 433

The project confirms a major turnround in attitudes to the Rec. A decade ago, Lambeth council was seriously considering its demolition. Local and wider support saw it listed by Historic England in 2016.