BEHIND THE SCENES
This video offers a glimpse into how the project was made though a sequence of stills running under the credits.
The All Our Stories grant programme, launched in 2012 in support of BBC 2's The Great British Story, was designed as an opportunity for everyone to get involved in their heritage. With Heritage Lottery Fund support, community groups all over the country have been exploring, sharing and celebrating their local heritage.
"Martham proved an ideal setting for such a project, thanks to the very active Martham Local History Group and the enthusiasm of the students at Flegg High School for film making, animation and exploring local heritage. After launching the project in January with a presentation at the village hall, we soon discovered there were many local residents keen to share their memories and knowledge of local history.
The stories have been further enlivened through the extensive use of photographic archives. The task of matching images to the stories was made easy thanks to the many years of preliminary research and cataloguing undertaken by members of MLHG and other local historians such as David Stretton. Additional magic was then provided by the student team, who proved to be highly talented interviewers, animators and illustrators."
Martin Sercombe (project director)
"Over 200 people gathered in the hall at Flegg High School for the première of Martham Stories on Friday 24th May. Then came the main event: an eighty-five minute film of interviews, animation, photographs and local scenes, all of such quality that time flew by. The students displayed high levels of creative and technical ability, whilst their subjects, Martham residents over the last eighty years, were relaxed, vocal and clearly having the time of their lives.
Some of the stories were informative, tracing Martham's earliest history through archaeology, mapping and metal detecting. Others were serious - especially those about the war years. The death of a childhood friend in a bombing raid; a lucky near-miss during a strafing; coping with evacuees and with food rationing, the wartime mystery that is Heigham Holmes. We heard how shops and businesses have changed over the years, especially the impact of the 1950s closure of the railway.
How different everyday life was in the mid 20th Century: teachers with canes, dancing lessons in the meadow by the school, children with the freedom to roam and to enjoy the river and the countryside, mass football on The Green. Childhood pranks and adventures were retold and received with laughter and applause. Throughout, there were murmurs of recognition, asides and comments from the audience. And afterwards, everyone said "You got it right".
The young participants were presented individually to the audience, each receiving their copy of the film DVD. They then spoke of all they had learned, how good it was to meet with the people who are part of their own history, how the experience may affect their own futures. One or two hope for front-line roles in the media. The roar of approval this received from their peers, their teachers and their audience leads to only one conclusion - watch this space."
Noel Mitchell (local historian)
"From over twenty years of involvement in local history in Norfolk, this project stands out for me, as one of the most pleasurable and rich in social history."
Neil Storey (author and historian)
"This film will be a true treasure for Martham for years to come."
Molly Housego (facilitator)
"This project reveals what can be achieved when teenagers and older people in their community work together. It's what education should really be about, and the results are brilliant."
Bill Bufford (teacher)
"Encompassed past, present and future. The youngest participants will be sharing this in 2083!"
Joc Mack (facilitator)
"Martham is no longer just another village by the coast. It is now a place brimming with historical significance and inhabited by wonderful people with fascinating stories to tell."
Simon Loveday (facilitator)
STUDENT QUOTES
Here are a few quotes from the team:
"Working with Media Projects East was an awesome experience. I learned lots of creative things and loved working with the team."
Ella Sayer
"I learned presentation skills as well as how to use advanced animation software. I loved the freedom we were given to take our tasks within the project any way we wanted. We weren't told what to do and how to do it every step of the way."
Harriett Douglas
"This project has been a fantastic insight into both the world of media and the history of Martham village, providing a beautiful perspective on its development over the years."
Dearna Johnson
"This course has been amazing to be a part of; I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with new people, to draw new things, use new technology, and most importantly, learn more about my village in probably the most interesting way possible. I’ve lived in Martham all my life, so it has been wonderful to learn more. Thanks for a great eight weeks, we’ll never forget it."
Sophie Sparrow
"During the project I had the opportunity to visit Jeremy Moore ’s renovation. It was a good experience as I got to see different artefacts that he has come across in his renovation. It was a very interesting day out and I enjoyed it very much."
Sidney Farrell
‘Doing this project has really inspired me to do something like this professionally. I also really enjoyed working in a way that we could decide what we wanted to do and being trusted with all the equipment and learning how to use it properly. I really enjoyed doing this project and being a part of this amazing team."
Polly Simmonds
"I really enjoyed the freedom to use all of the technology available to us for the project as our work wasn’t limited; we had the freedom to mould the animations and interviews to look how we wanted them to look. I felt that I was trusted with the computers and cameras, and that made me feel like an equal instead of simply a student." Eleanor Martin