Record your Wicksteed Park memories for oral history project to tell story of much-loved Kettering attraction

People’s memories of Wicksteed Park will be recorded and stored for posterity thanks to a new project being organised to archive the popular venue’s history.

Wicksteed Park’s Community and Heritage Team has invited local people to share their memories of the Kettering park as part of a major new oral history project.

The project aims to collect 60 recorded stories about all aspects of Wicksteed Park and the part it has played in people's lives – either as a place to visit and play, or as place to work or volunteer.

Once complete, all the collected oral histories will become part of the Wicksteed Park archive and be stitched together to form a legacy soundscape.

Connor McIntyre, the park’s community and heritage coordinator, said: “The goal is to collect all the oral histories by the end of April next year. We’re making really good progress and we’re already more than halfway there, but we’d love to hear from more people willing to share their stories of Wicksteed Park with us.

“Any memory is valuable to the archive no matter how big or small and the recordings can be as short or as long as you want. Some people give short 30 second snippets, others have enjoyed sitting and chatting for 20 minutes or more.”

People can either meet with the community and heritage team to record in person, or they can record it themselves and send it in to the team.

The oral history project is part of the @Play project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to encourage more people to learn about the heritage of the park and the continued importance and value of play for the local community.

Anyone who would like to record their own oral history to send in, will be sent a variety of suggested prompts to help get them started such as: ‘When did you first visit Wicksteed Park?’ or ‘What memory sticks out the most to you about Wicksteed Park?’.

Send your sound files to [email protected] or for more information how to get involved with the project visit wicksteedpark.org or pop into Wicksteed Park, Barton Road, Kettering, NN15 6NJ or call 01536 512475.