Corby movie archive handed to heritage centre to preserve town's history on film for future

Paul Balmer and Judy Caine – founders of Corby training company HD Media CIC – have documented Corby’s recent history in a series of locally-made films over the past decade.

Trainees aged between 11 and 24 have been mentored by the ex-BBC and BAFTA nominee couple, alongside Oscar-winning directors and producers brought as guests to ‘Corby Big Film Weeks’.

Paul Balmer and Judy Caine, directors at HD Media, said: “We are delighted to have been asked by NNC to collate this important collection of films for future generations to enjoy.

"A great deal of effort went into each film not only from an historical and research point of view but also ensuring that the technical standards are world class.

"Coming from a BBC background, and having won nine international awards for our work, we felt a great responsibility to pass this standard on to the next generation of filmmakers.

"We are incredibly proud of what our young trainees achieved and hope they enjoy sharing their work with their children and grandchildren.”

Since 2014, young people from the Corby and surrounding area have been given exciting ‘on the job experience’ enabling future careers in film, television, radio and webcasting.

The resulting 23 films document Corby’s historical, cultural and artistic activity from 1585 to 2022. They include the history of Corby’s Pole Fair, the story of P.L.U.T.O pipeline, stories featuring the Corby’s Polish, Latvian and Scottish communities, and Adrenaline Alley.

The film collection can be accessed for showing at schools and community groups, as well as events and research.

Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “We are very fortunate in North Northants to have a rich and diverse heritage with each town and village having its own unique history that generations to come will learn about. “As well as looking further back into history, it’s important that we also recognise and preserve our more recent history for future generations. With this in mind, I am extremely grateful for this exciting digital archive that has now been handed over to the team at the Corby Heritage Centre.”