VTT Archivist, Jo Blyghton, and Volunteer Coordinator, Molly O’Doherty, are welcoming some new volunteers to the project. See below to find out more about the new researchers and what they will be doing
Later this month, we will be welcoming nine new Volunteers to our Voices Through Time: The Story of Care project. The Stories of Interest Volunteers will be joining us to help us tell the story of care, by delving into our archive and researching the lives of young people at the Foundling Hospital.
From when it opened in 1741, more than 25,000 children and young people were cared for by the Foundling Hospital. Our volunteers will be carrying out brand new research on primary source documents, some of which may not have been seen since they were originally written. They’ll be compiling this research and then creatively presenting a range of stories from the 1740s through to the early 1900s.
Project Archivist, Jo Blyghton:
‘I’m really looking forward to working with the new Volunteers. Their enthusiasm for the project and for learning more about the story of care already feels like such a positive addition to the project. It’s going to be great supporting them on their journey into the archive and seeing how stories can begin to develop when documents link up together and start to create a bigger picture. Each Volunteer is bringing their own perspective and areas of interest to this project, and I can’t wait to see how these personal interests feed into the research, the stories that come to light, and the ways these stories are creatively shared.’
Volunteer Coordinator, Molly O’Doherty:
‘I’m so excited about our new group of volunteers joining us. This is going to be such a special project, digging into the records and discovering stories of Foundlings for the very first time. It’s going to be a fantastic chance for these young people to do original research with first-hand documents. We have a brilliant group, who all have unique skills and experience to offer. I’m really looking forward to connecting with them and learning from their insights and observations.’
The first round of stories uncovered will feed into a creative project for care experienced young people, which will be running in the summer. Beyond that, further research about the lives of other pupils will continue and stories will be shared.
