A creative community project bringing memories to life through storytelling, music, poetry and digital media
The Time to Tell project, delivered by The Watershed with support from the Community Plus Fund, set out to answer this question by giving older adults across the Colne Valley the opportunity to reflect on their lives, share their experiences and preserve their memories for future generations.
Through creative workshops, storytelling sessions and digital recording, the project created welcoming spaces where people could explore their personal histories, discover new skills and connect with others in their community.
Working with talented local artists and creative practitioners, participants explored different ways to express their memories. These included creative writing, poetry, songwriting, oral storytelling, soundscapes and video blogs (vlogs).
The project reached 60 participants and delivered activities at The Watershed, Slaithwaite Library, St James’s Church and Meadow Court Care Home. Outreach sessions helped people who might otherwise have found it difficult to attend workshops at The Watershed to take part and share their stories.
Participants were supported at their own pace, with individual guidance and small-group activities helping them build confidence and try something new.
For some participants, the project opened up opportunities they had never imagined. Learning to use microphones and recording equipment enabled people to document their memories digitally, creating a lasting record of their lives and experiences.
One participant, Margaret, aged 85, had never used a microphone before joining the project. With support from the facilitators, she recorded a vlog about her memories of working in the mills. Reflecting on the experience, she said:
“I never thought I could speak down a microphone at my age. It is nice to share stories from my past and for others to hear them. It makes it feel important in a small way.”
Other participants explored their memories through poetry and storytelling, while some transformed childhood experiences into creative stories. These activities offered opportunities for reflection, self-expression and the creation of something meaningful to share with family and the wider community.
At the heart of Time to Tell was the belief that everyone’s experiences matter and that sharing stories can bring people closer together.
The workshops helped participants develop friendships, feel more connected to their community and gain confidence in expressing themselves. Feedback from care home staff also highlighted how residents became more animated and engaged through taking part.
“It’s more than just learning new skills, it’s about feeling valued and being heard.”
By taking creative activities into community spaces and supported living settings, the project helped make participation more accessible to older adults, including people living with disabilities.
One of the project’s lasting achievements is a digital collection of creative work, making participants’ stories and memories accessible to a wider audience.
The collection includes:
- 8 songs
- 5 poems
- 15 reminiscence vlogs
- 7 stories
These recordings and creative pieces capture personal reflections, local history and individual experiences, preserving voices that might otherwise go unheard.
You can explore the collection online at The Watershed – Time to Tell.
Although the funded project has ended, its legacy continues through the digital archive and the connections it helped establish across the community.
Time to Tell also helped lay the foundations for further heritage work at The Watershed, including the Slawit SHOP! project, which explored 100 years of shopping history in Slaithwaite. Both projects share a commitment to listening to local people, preserving memories and celebrating the stories that shape our communities.
We are grateful to everyone who participated, shared their memories, supported the workshops and helped bring this project to life.
