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Aug 11, 2025
Broxbourne At War Exhibition at Lowewood Museum
Broxbourne At War Exhibition at Lowewood Museum
00:00
44:08
Transcript
0:00
[gentle music] Hello, and welcome to Voices of Our Towns, the podcast sharing stories from people who make a difference in our communities. I'm Emakobone, your host.
0:09
In today's episode, I take you inside the appreciation evening at Lowwood Museum, honoring those who helped create the Broxbourne at War exhibition.
0:17
Surrounded by photos, stories, and wartime artifacts, I also had the chance to chat with some of the museum's teams. Here's our conversation. [gentle music] So what is today all about?
0:29
Okay, so today here at Lowwood Museum, uh, we're saying thank you to all our community partners and volunteers who contributed to our new exhibition, Broxbourne at War: Life in the Borough 1939 to 1945.
0:43
So each one of them has, has helped put together the information board, uh, done research, spoken to people in the community, gathered everything, and put it on display as you, as you see it now. Right.
0:54
So that's our way of saying thank you to them. That is really good, and I can see a lot of work has been done here.
1:00
Um, the, the, the, the-- I think the effort they've put in actually resonates with, uh, what today is all about.
1:06
Uh, is there any particular person who you think has done exceptionally well, or maybe just the group of them have done exceptionally well? No, I'd just say the group as a whole.
1:14
I mean, we a- we always work together as a group from the planning stage, and we help each other out. So it wouldn't be fair for me to pick one individual out.
1:22
I'd say really that the whole group have, have done their part to get this up and running. Is there any particular thing that they did that, you know, that sort of stands out right now?
1:32
Maybe a particular piece that you think, you know what, that one, i- you know, is, is an exceptional work. Right. Um, again, it's hard to say 'cause, uh, each story is unique and, and subject header.
1:44
So I think what, what's amazing is obviously when, when we first start a pro- a pla- a project like this, we, we gather around a table with whatever, uh, whatever subject, in this case it was World War II.
1:55
But then it'll be, okay, how do we break that down?
1:58
And then, um, I'll use for example, someone said, "Oh, uh, let's, let's say about the local defense system which we had in the area," uh, which is a board there called Taking Cover.
2:08
And then they then subsequently have to go and research that.
2:11
So, you know, everyone can have an idea, but then it's, it's actually going out in the community and getting that research, be-- and what we've got here within the museum,
2:19
uh, local history groups and so on, and then collating all that information, condensing it down so it can be put onto a board like you see here, and then, uh, ultimately getting it printed and, and displayed.
2:32
So it's a, a lot of work goes into these individual boards. And as I say, it's individuals who have done this in their own time, as I say, they, they do it on, on a volunteer basis.
2:43
Um, yeah, and I say, what, what you see there is what, what they've done. No, I think that's really good.
2:48
I think you were saying earlier on that, uh, majority of the people who are working here, I think about the, the three of you who are only volunteers are getting some time to do this.
2:57
It can be, it can be a bit, I guess, dr- draining. Mm. How have you guys managed to, to pull this off? Right. I say in terms of the three of us, so there's, there's three members of, if you wanna say paid staff.
3:09
There's myself, uh, Naomi and, and Peter, who, who, who work-- who are employees of, for Lowwood. But the, the rest of the team, everyone you can see here, uh, this evening are, are volunteers. So, um, obviously, um,
3:24
you know, we rely on their support, but we work together. So, um-- And yeah, we g- we get the job done. [laughs] No, I think it's, it's really exceptional. I think it's really good for the Lowwood, uh, Museum- Yeah...
3:34
to say thank you to the volunteers who are con- constantly contributing- Yeah... uh, for the welfare of the, the museum, and obviously- Right... making sure that it remains active and live for the people who will come.
3:45
And exceptionally- Yeah... I think it's es- especially for, you know, the, the generation that will come afterwards to see- Yeah... exactly what has been put together. Yeah. Yeah.
3:53
You were saying something about earlier on some sort of, um, voice recordings. Yeah.
3:58
So, um, so one of the, one of the parts of the exhibition is-- we've, we've called it Community Voices, but in essence what that is, is, um, we've got a, a back catalogue of oral history recordings within our collection.
4:10
So, uh, when we, when we run an exhibition like this, we, we go back through our back catalogue, uh, and find, find, um, which recordings relate to the particular subject.
4:21
And then we, we can edit those transcripts down to five to ten minute, uh, audio recordings which you can listen to. Uh, or if you, if you choose to read it, we also type the transcripts up.
4:33
So these are pe- it's basically people's recordings in their own words. They're not edited out. Uh, so you can actually hear the people who would've experienced their time during the Second World War.
4:44
So, as I say, we've got ten recordings there from people within the community, uh, covering a wide range of subjects, uh, during the war period w- within the borough. That is, that is really good.
4:56
Thank- thanks very much. Uh, I was actually also thinking about the future. So at the moment, you guys have maintained this to this point where everything has been intricately, uh, maintained. Yeah.
5:09
And, and, and as you can see, it, it gives you the impression that this thing can last another ten years, twenty years. Mm-hmm. What do you guys see into the future? Right. What, what the museum will look like?
5:19
Um, [laughs] tough question really. [laughs] And I, I'd say at this moment we-- obviously we want, we want to carry on doing what we're doing.
5:26
Ideal scenario, um, you know, uh, we'd like to be open more days during the week. At the moment we're open to the public on a Friday and a Saturday. Um, going forward, who knows?
5:38
We'd look to, look to open more days and, um, put on more exhibitions like this in the future.
5:43
What, what I would say as well is, um-Uh, the, the museum is funded by the National Lottery, uh, Heritage Fund, so without their support we wouldn't be able to put these exhibitions on.
5:54
So of course, huge thank you to them as well, 'cause, uh, without their support, we wouldn't be able to have the museum you see here today. Well, uh, so many people will be asking, who am I speaking with?
6:05
Uh, can you do a little bit of an introduction? Okay. Well, uh, my name's Tony Catronica. I'm the Community Engagement Officer here at Lowood Museum.
6:14
Uh, I've been working here just over a year, so, um, yeah, I love it, so [laughs] Well, you heard it.
6:20
Um, we're gonna have a bit of time to speak to some of these, uh, volunteers who have contributed immensely to what we see here. Uh, so just stay with us and, uh, you're gonna hear a bit more. Right. I would, um...
6:33
Uh, what I would also say is if, if anybody's interested in becoming a volunteer at Lowood, please get in touch, 'cause we're always open to new volunteers.
6:41
Uh, once you become a volunteer, you don't have to commit yourself to any, to any set times, but, uh, there's many a role you can do from work in front of house, uh, on a, on an open day, to doing research for our projects, and so on.
6:55
So if anybody is interested in, in volunteering with us, plea- please get in touch. Yeah, you heard it. Um, I think, uh, I will, I will add to that.
7:03
I think the work that they do here is very fulfilling, and if you are someone who's got a bit of time and you would like to volunteer, I think the Lowood Museum will be a fantastic place.
7:13
If you're local, this would be a great place for you to volunteer.
7:17
There's a lot going on, like you said, the research, the, uh, front office, uh, management, and there's a lot of people who are doing similar stuff who you will meet, uh, so you're not gonna be by yourself.
7:28
It is fantastic and, uh, you get to see a lot of people, people from local, people from international, who want to see exactly what has been captured here. I think it's, it's exceptional.
7:38
Uh, so if you wanna volunteer, please get in touch to, with, uh, the Lowood Museum, uh, team. Uh, their website is available. You're going to see the details. They publish a lot of articles and...
7:48
well, not articles, uh, posts on social f- on social media, and you can always get their information on there. So yeah, if you're interested and you should be able to, uh, find the information.
7:59
And of course, if you want to donate, um, they have various options, uh, various ways of actually donating to this, uh, uh, to the museum, and obviously, they would never say no to, to whatever you give them. All right?
8:11
Thank you very much. I will be speaking to some of the, uh, to your members, uh, shortly. Hello, I've got very, uh, a very special, uh, person, uh, at the museum today.
8:23
Um, like we was- we've been, we've been talking about celebrating the volunteers who have been working at the, the museum and somebody really special in front of us here.
8:33
So I'm just gonna give them the mic for them to introduce themselves, and you get to hear it yourself. Yeah. Hi, uh, I'm David Dent. I'm the Chair of the Lowood Museum Trust, which, uh,
8:46
i- is the organization that now runs the museum for the Borough of Broxbourne.
8:52
Um, we're here to, this evening, uh, at Lowood Museum on the High Street in Hoddesdon, and the reason we're here is we're celebrating the opening of our latest exhibition, uh, which is entitled Broxbourne at War:
9:11
Life in the Borough, 1939 to 1945. That is fantastic. I think what we're doing today, uh, like, uh, Tony has already mentioned, is we are basically, uh,
9:25
showing our gratitude to the people who have contributed some of the work here.
9:28
Is there anything you're going to say about the work they've done and the people who have sort of, uh, uh, spent some time in putting this exhibition together? Yes.
9:40
The, uh, the exhibition here would not be possible without the, uh, input and the, uh, work that's been put in by our, uh, excellent bunch of volunteers.
9:54
Not all of them have been involved with, um, putting this project together.
9:59
Uh, a lot of them actually do work, uh, within sort of the front of house, so there are m- there are many more volunteers involved than, uh, have been involved with this particular exhibition.
10:12
But it was important that we recognize the amount of work that those volunteers who've helped with this, uh, ha- have put into to pulling it all together. Obviously,
10:26
all the work that's been done is, is vitally important.
10:30
Uh, there are many stories to tell about how it affected every day, how the Second World War affected everyday life i- in the area which is now known as the Borough of Broxbourne.
10:42
Um, but equally, all of that work that the volunteers did, um, it had to be all brought together into a displayable form.
10:53
And so for that, we are, uh, very grateful to our paid museum staff, Naomi, our Project Manager, uh, T- um, Tony, our, uh, Community Engagement Officer, and Peter, who is our, our Curator.
11:10
Without their expertise to bring all of that work together, uh, we wouldn't have an exhibition here. So, uh, it, it's, um, it, it's a testament to all that hard work and, and it looks really amazing, and I hope, uh, uh,
11:27
lots of people from within the community will get to see it, uh, during the time that it's on. Uh, it runs now and through until the twentieth of December. Thank you very much. Uh, I think everybody's heard it now.
11:40
I think if anything, from what I see, I think this is worth, uh, everyone coming out to seeUh, it is, uh, Broxbourne at War: Life in the Borough, uh, 1939 to 1945.
11:53
The information that has been put together here, the, the, the, uh, uh, pictures, the stories that you get to he- see here will really resonates, uh, obviously of the times that was being captured here.
12:07
So if anyone, if y- if, if you know about this and then you know where the Lowdham Museum is, I think it'll be great to see you around, coming to understand exactly what has been captured here, what has been done here.
12:21
Uh, before I go, I just wanted to say, what exactly would you expect to see between now and the December when this, um, exhibition is open?
12:31
Uh, is there any particular thing that you think this would trigger or maybe happen, uh, as part of this, uh, exhibition? Yeah.
12:42
We, uh, with our exhibitions, we do try and link in other events, um, to keep them in the public focus, if you like. Um,
12:53
um, uh, it's always been a policy of ours to ru- run events during the, uh, school holidays, and this coming Wednesday, that's, uh, 13th of August, we have an event here at the museum linked to the exhibition.
13:09
We have a group of re-enactment, uh, people coming to show, um, how, uh, how things we- were going on during, uh, World War II.
13:22
Um, uh, there's a, there's a group, a part of the group who, uh, show you how a bomb disposal team would work because obviously not a- all of the bombs that were dropped during World War II exploded, so those that didn't explode had to be, um, uh, dismantled and, and, uh, made safe.
13:42
So there's that. You can, uh... children should be able to dress up in, uh, in, in sort of uniform particularly.
13:50
Uh, I think we've got, uh, some uniform relating to the Air Force, and we're hoping to have a couple of, uh, World War II military vehicles here as well. Beyond that, we intend to, um...
14:06
The exhibition itself is not glorifying war.
14:10
We want it to tell the story about how the everyday, e- how it affected everyday life, um, the ordinary person, what they had to endure, what they had to go through, what wasn't available to them, how they had to be prepared to, uh, uh, at a very short notice to, uh, find shelter if there was an air raid.
14:34
Um, so we're not glorifying war. But later on in the year, towards Remembrance Sunday in November, we will be commemorating, uh, the lives of some of those men who went,
14:48
uh, and fought for this country and fought for the freedom of all of us, uh, who sadly did not come back, uh, to continue their lives in, in what is now the Borough of Broxbourne.
14:59
Um, we're als- also hoping to put on a couple of talks, um, which will be here on a, on a Saturday, that people will be able to buy tickets for. Um, but more, uh, details about those will follow in due course.
15:15
Thank you very much. I think you've heard it all.
15:17
Uh, there's a lot of events and activities that we're expecting between now and the December when this exhibition will close, but then we expect, um, uh, members of the community to come round and then have a, a look around and then see exactly what this exhibition i- is.
15:32
Um, I will be speaking with other people. Um, but then at this moment, we're gonna say thank you to the, um, uh, the, the chairman of the trust who's been, uh, look- overlooking exactly what work was being done here.
15:46
Uh, we want to say thank you to the people who have actually volunteered and then obviously put their time and effort in putting this exhibition together. Thank you, and, uh, God bless. Uh, hello, everyone.
15:59
I think we've got, uh, the, uh, museum project manager, uh, Naomi. Uh, Naomi, can you do a little bit of introduction? Let people who do not know you yet, let them know you and the, the, the work you do at the museum.
16:11
Yeah. Um, so I'm Naomi. I'm the museum project manager, um, and my job is to lead on a, a wider project that we do at the museum, which is called Your Museum, Your Heritage.
16:22
The aim of the project, which is a National Lottery funded project, was to really embed, um, the Lowdham Museum back in the, really in the heart of community and make it really relevant and really somewhere that people could walk and see their own stories when they come through the door.
16:36
So over the last four years it is now, we've been working on a series of different projects, um, where we've been working really closely with, um, the community.
16:45
We've been gathering what we call our community curators, who are people in the community who either are really interested in working in museums and curating projects or have a specialist interest.
16:56
Um, so we've done six projects. This is the sixth one. Um, they've been really, um, wide-ranging. So we've done a project about the glasshouse industry in this area. We're currently doing Broxbourne at War.
17:07
Before that we did a project about the Windrush generation in this area. And what's the other ones we've done? Um, we did one about toys, so people's kind of memories of using toys in this area as well.
17:17
Um, so the idea is that we've got something that's really broad and that people can walk in and, and have their own sto- and add their own stories too. Yeah.
17:24
I think we were speaking to Anthony and Anthony, he's saying, you know, there are some voice recordings, the voices of the community, that the people who have gone through these wars and then obviously recorded it, captured it, making it easy for people who wanted to understand exactly the impact of war in our local area, they get to hear- The people who've been curating this,
17:45
how would you want to maybe express your own gratitude for the work that they've done?I always say that I sort of run out of words in thanking these people 'cause I thank them so often [laughs] for everything that they do.
17:56
Um, we're a really small team at the museum, and we rely on our volunteers hugely. We couldn't do it without it. We have a team of about 50 volunteers who do a range of different things.
18:05
Um, so that might be anything from collections work to being front of house, um, to looking kind of... We've got people that specialize in archeology, and also for this project we've got our c- community curators.
18:16
So sometimes these are people that have already been involved with the museum, and sometimes they're not. Some people they... People come in 'cause they've got a specialist interest in this, in the work that we're doing.
18:24
Um, I can't thank them enough really. It's, it's the amount...
18:27
I always say, when you look round the exhibition, you can't really [laughs], you can't really quite get a grasp of exactly how much work it takes to put on an exhibition like this.
18:35
And this exhibition, there were, I think, nine community curators who all took a specific area of interest, went away and researched it, wrote their own piece about it.
18:46
Um, and with, I mean, how do you get that kind of expertise? So we're really, really lucky, and we absolutely wouldn't... We wouldn't want to do it without them, but we absolutely also couldn't do it without them.
18:55
Uh, would you then be asking for additional volunteers if there is someone out there who, who's basically considering volunteering, w- would you say this place is a good place for them to do?
19:07
This is a great place to volunteer. I think if you talk to our volunteers, we've got a really close social community as well. Everybody here is really great friends. Um, we always need people.
19:18
At the moment, we're open two days a week. We want to be open more, but to do that, we need more people to be front of house, to be those kind of friendly faces that face the museum. Um, but we're really...
19:28
We've got lots of opportunities for people. So what we normally do is lots of people start with us, and they might start front of house.
19:33
And when we get to know them, you know, if they've got a certain area of interest, then we try really to accommodate people, and we've got a huge amount of skill.
19:41
A number of people that work with us have recently retired, and they've, they've come to work with us, and they're just... The level of expertise they have is phenomenal.
19:49
They're professionals, so we're really grateful for that.
19:51
So absolutely, yeah, just if it's something that pe- people are interested in doing, we're quite flexible as a volunteer, um, group as well, so there's no minimum commitment.
20:00
If, if you've got a bit of time and you're interested in heritage or you're interested in people or you're interested in DIY or you're interested in photography or, you know, there's a real range of things that we always need people to do.
20:10
So yes, absolutely. Thank you very much. Uh, I think everyone's saying it. Uh, we had the, uh, chairman of the trust saying it. We had, uh, Tony saying it, and we also have the museum, uh, project manager also saying it.
20:24
If you have a bit of time to... in you, and you would like to help, uh, they are really keen to see you guys bringing your expertise. They believe there is no...
20:32
There is flexibility in, in, in, in how they, um, access your time. So if you have the willingness to do it, you know, it would be great for you to come round.
20:41
But then from what I'm seeing, this is a fantastic work that they've done here to put this, uh, exhibition together and, uh, I, I would really, really, uh, encourage anyone who's listening to this to come round, uh, Lowestoft Museum to see exactly what we're talking about.
20:56
Today really is just for, uh, uh, the museum to appreciate the people who've done the work. There's, uh, nine community curators, a few other volunteers here doing one work, uh, something, uh, here and there.
21:09
Uh, so it'd be great. Uh, th- there's no point in me talking too much about it. You come and see yourself what has been put together here. Um, is there anything else you would like to add, uh, before we close?
21:21
Um, just to say everyone's welcome to involve. We're a really open community. We're open Fridays and Saturdays. Come and see us. If you want to get in touch, you can contact us at
[email protected]
. All right.
21:34
You've heard it. [laughs] They are on social media too. If you want to s- so go on social media and, uh, comment or direct message them if there's anything you're interested in.
21:44
You can also go to their website, uh, and see if, uh, any information you want.
21:48
And I've been, uh, I think I've been informed that there might be some website coming through, so whatever you see at the moment could be the old one. So the better new one is coming out soon.
21:58
But yeah, check them out on their website. Thank you very much and we'll speak soon. Thank you. So what is today all about? Okay.
22:07
So today here at Lowestoft Museum, uh, we're saying thank you to all our community partners and volunteers who contributed to our new exhibition, Broxted Borne At War: Life in a Borough 1939 to 1945.
22:21
So each one of them has, has helped put together the information board, uh, done research, spoken to people in the community, gathered everything, um, put it on display as you, as you see it now. Yeah.
22:32
So that's our way of saying thank you to them. That is really good, and I can see a lot of work has been done here. Um, the, the, the, the...
22:39
I think the effort they've put in actually resonates with, uh, what today is all about.
22:44
Uh, is there any particular person who you think has done exceptionally well, or maybe just the group of them have done exceptionally well? No, I'd just say the group as a whole.
22:52
I mean, we, we always work together as a group from the planning stage, and we help each other out. So it wouldn't be fair for me to pick one individual out.
23:00
I'd say really that the whole group have, have done their part to get this up and running. Is there any particular thing that they did that, you know, that sort of stands out right now?
23:10
Maybe a particular piece that you think, "You know what, that one, it, you know, is, is an exceptional work." Right. Um, again, it's hard to say 'cause, uh, each story is unique and, and subject header.
23:22
So I think what, what's amazing is obviously when, when we first start a pro- a pla- uh, a project like this, we, we gather around a table and we'd say, "Whatever, uh, whatever subject," in this case it was World War II, but then it'll be, "Okay, how do we break that down?"
23:35
And then, um, I'll use for example, someone said, "Oh, uh, let's, let's say about the local defense system," which we had in the area, uh, which is a board there called Taking Cover.
23:45
And then they then subsequently have to go and research that.
23:48
So, you know, everyone could have an idea, but then it's, it's actually-Going out in the community and getting that research, being what we've got here within the museum,
23:57
uh, local history groups and so on, and then collating all that information, condensing it down so it can be put onto a board like you see here, and then, uh, ultimately getting it printed and, and displayed.
24:09
So it's a, a lot of work goes into these individual boards, and as I say, it's individuals who have done this in their own time. As I say, they, they do it on a volunteer basis.
24:20
Um, yeah, and as I say, what, what you see there is what, what they've done. No, I think that's really good.
24:26
I think you were saying earlier on that, uh, majority of the people who are working here, I think about the, the three of you who are only volunteers are getting some time to do this.
24:35
It can be, it can be a bit, I guess, dr- draining. Mm. How have you guys managed to, to pull this off? Right. I say, in terms of the three of us, so we're-- there's three members of, if you wanna say, paid staff.
24:46
There, there's myself, uh, Naomi and, and Peter, who, uh, who were, who are employees of, for Lowwood. But the, the rest of the team, everyone you can see here, uh, this evening are, are volunteers.
24:58
So, um, obviously, um, you know, we rely on their support, but we work together, so, um, and yeah, we g- we get the job done. [laughs] No, I think it's, it's, it's really exceptional.
25:09
I think it's really good for the Lowwood, uh, Museum- Yeah... to say thank you to the volunteers who are const- constantly contributing- Yeah... uh, for the welfare of the, the museum, and obviously making sure- Right...
25:20
that it remains active and live for the people who will come. And especially- Yeah... I think it's es- especially for, you know, the, the generation that will come afterwards to see- Yeah...
25:28
exactly what has been put together. Yeah. Yeah. You were saying something about earlier on some sort of, uh, voice recordings. Yeah.
25:35
So, um, so one of the, one of the parts of the exhibition is-- we've, we've called it Community Voices, but in essence what that is, is, um, we've got a, a back catalogue of oral history recordings within our collection.
25:48
So, uh, when we, when we run an exhibition like this, we, we go back through our back catalogue, uh, and find, find, um, which recordings relate to the particular subject, and then we, we can edit those transcripts down to five to ten-minute, uh, audio recordings which you can listen to.
26:06
Uh, or if you, if you choose to read it, we also type the transcripts up. So these are pe- it's basically people's recordings in their own words. They're not edited out.
26:16
Uh, so you can actually hear the people who would have experienced their time during the Second World War.
26:21
So, as I say, we've got 10 recordings there from people within the community, uh, covering a wide range of subjects, uh, during the war period w- within the borough. That is, that is really good. Thank, thanks very much.
26:35
Uh, I was also, also thinking about the future. So at the moment, you guys have maintained this to this point where everything has been intricately, uh, maintained. Yeah.
26:46
And, and, and as you can see, it, it gives you the impression that this thing can last another ten years, twenty years. Mm-hmm. What do you guys see into the future? Right. What, what the museum will look like? Um,
26:58
tough question really. [laughs] And, and I'd say at this moment we obviously, we want, we wanna carry on doing what we're doing. Ideal scenario, um, you know, uh, we'd like to be open more days during the week.
27:09
At the moment we're open to the public on a Friday and a Saturday. Um, going forward, who knows, we'd look to, look to open more days and, um, put on more exhibitions like this in the future.
27:21
What, what I would say as well is, um, uh, the, the museum is funded by the National Lottery, uh, Heritage Fund, so without their support, we wouldn't be able to put these exhibitions on. So of course,
27:33
huge thank you to them as well, 'cause, uh, without their support, we wouldn't be able to have the museum you see here today. Well, uh, so many people will be asking, who am I speaking with?
27:42
Can you do a little bit of an introduction? Okay. Well, uh, my name's Tony Katrinika. I'm the Community Engagement Officer here at Lowwood Museum. Uh, I've been working here just over a year, so, um, yeah, I love it.
27:56
So [laughs] Well, you heard it. Um, we're gonna have a bit of time to speak to some of these, uh, volunteers who have contributed immensely to what we see here.
28:06
Uh, so just stay with us, and, uh, you're gonna hear a bit more. Right. I would, um...
28:11
Uh, what I would also say is if, if anybody's interested in becoming a volunteer at Lowwood, please get in touch, 'cause we're, we're always open to new volunteers.
28:19
Uh, once you become a volunteer, you don't have to commit yourself to any, to any set times, but, uh, there's many a role you can do from work in front of house, uh, on a, on an open day to doing research for our projects, and so on.
28:32
So if anybody is interested in, in volunteering with us, plea- please get in touch. Yeah, you heard it.
28:38
Um, I think, uh, I will, I will add to that, I think the work that they do here is very fulfilling, and if you are someone who's got a bit of time and you would like to volunteer, I think the Lowwood Museum will be a fantastic place.
28:51
If you're local, this would be a great place for you to volunteer.
28:54
There's a lot going on, like you said, the research, the, uh, front office, uh, management, and there's a lot of people who are doing similar stuff who you will meet, uh, so you're not gonna be by yourself.
29:05
It is fantastic and, uh, you get to see a lot of people, people from local, people from international, who want to see exactly what has been captured here. I think it's, it's exceptional.
29:15
Uh, so if you wanna volunteer, please get in touch to-- with, uh, the Lowwood Museum, uh, team. Uh, their website is available. You're going to see the details.
29:23
They publish a lot of articles and-- well, not articles, uh, posts on social f- on social media, and you can always get their information on there.
29:31
So yeah, if you're interested, and you should be able to, uh, find the information.
29:36
And of course, if you want to donate, um, they have various options, uh, various ways of actually donating to these, uh, uh, to the museum, and obviously they would never say no to, to whatever you give them. All right?
29:48
Thank you very much. I will be speaking to some of the, uh, to your members, uh, shortly. [background chatter] Hello. I've got very, uh... a very special, uh, person, uh, at the museum today.
30:01
Um, like we was- we've been, we've been talking about celebrating the volunteers who will be working at the, the museum, and somebody really special in front of us here.
30:10
So I'm just gonna give them the mic for them to introduce themselves, and you get to hear it yourself. Yeah. Hi, uh, I'm David Dent. I'm the chair of the Lowood Museum Trust, which,
30:24
uh, i- is the organization that now runs the museum for the Borough of Broxbourne. Um, we're here to-- this evening, uh, at Lowood Museum on the High Street in Hoddesdon.
30:38
And the reason we're here is we're celebrating the opening of our latest exhibition, uh, which is entitled Broxbourne at War: Life in the Borough 1939 to 1945. That is fantastic.
30:55
I think what we're doing today, uh, like, uh, Tony has already mentioned, is we are basically, uh, showing our gratitude to the people who have contributed some of the work here.
31:06
Is there anything you can just say about the work they've done and the people who have sort of, uh, uh, spent some time in putting this exhibition together? Yes.
31:17
The, uh, the exhibition here would not be possible without the, uh, input and the, uh, work that's been put in by our, uh, excellent bunch of volunteers.
31:32
Not all of them have been involved with, um, putting this project together.
31:37
Uh, a lot of them actually do work, uh, within sort of the front of house, so there are m- there are many more volunteers involved than, uh, have been involved with this particular exhibition.
31:50
But it was important that we recognize the amount of work that those volunteers who've helped with this, uh, ha- have put into to pulling it all together. Obviously,
32:04
all the work that's been done is, is vitally important.
32:08
Uh, there are many stories to tell about how it affected everyday-- how the Second World War affected everyday life i- in the area which is now known as the Borough of Broxbourne.
32:20
Um, but equally, all of that work that the volunteers did, um, it had to be all brought together into a displayable form.
32:30
And so for that, we are, uh, very grateful to our paid museum staff, Naomi, our project manager, uh, T- um, Tony, our, uh, community engagement officer, and Peter, who is our, our curator.
32:47
Without their expertise to bring all of that work together, uh, we wouldn't have an exhibition here. So, uh, it, it's, um...
32:57
it, it's a testament to all that hard work and, and it looks really amazing, and I hope, uh, uh, lots of people from within the community will get to see it, uh, during the time that it's on.
33:10
Uh, it runs now and through until the twentieth of December. Thank you very much. Uh, I think everybody's heard it now. I think if anything, from what I see, I think this is worth, uh, everyone coming out to see.
33:24
Uh, it is, uh, Broxbourne at War: Life in the Borough, uh, 1939 to 1945.
33:30
The information that has been put together here, the, the, the, uh, uh, pictures, the stories that you get to he- see here will really resonates, uh, obviously of the times that has been captured here. So if anyone...
33:47
if you, if, if you know about this and then you know where the Lowood Museum is, I think it would be great to see you around, coming to understand exactly what has been captured here, what has been done here.
33:58
Uh, before I go, I just wanted to say what exactly would you expect to see between now and the December when this, um, exhibition is open?
34:09
Uh, is there any particular thing that you think this would trigger or maybe happen, uh, as part of this, uh, exhibition? Yeah.
34:19
We, uh, with our exhibitions, we do try and link in other events, um, to keep them in the public focus, if you like. Um,
34:30
um, uh, it's always been a policy of ours to ru- run events during the, uh, school holidays, and this coming Wednesday, that's, uh, thirteenth of August, we have an event here at the museum linked to the exhibition.
34:46
We have a group of reenactment, uh, people coming to show, um, how, uh, how things we- were going on during, uh, World War II.
34:59
Um, uh, there's a, there's a group, part of the group who, uh, show you how a bomb disposal team would work because obviously not a- all of the bombs that were dropped during World War II exploded, so those that didn't explode had to be, um,
35:16
uh, dismantled and, and, uh, made safe. So there's that. You can, uh... children should be able to dress up in, uh, in, in sort of uniform, particularly, uh, I think we've got, uh, some uniform relating to the Air Force.
35:33
And we're hoping to have a couple of, uh, World War II military vehicles here as well. Beyond that, we intend to, um... The exhibition itself is not glorifying war.
35:47
We want it to tell the story about how-The everyday, how it affected everyday life.
35:55
Um, the ordinary person, what they had to endure, what they had to go through, what wasn't available to them, how they had to be prepared to, uh, uh, at a very short notice to, uh, find shelter if there was an air raid.
36:11
Um, so we're not glorifying war. But later on in the year, towards Remembrance Sunday in November, we will be commemorating, uh, the lives of some of those men who went,
36:25
uh, and fought for this country and fought for the freedom of all of us, uh, who sadly did not come back, uh, to continue their lives in, in what is now the Borough of Broxbourne.
36:37
Um, we're also hoping to put on a couple of talks, um, which will be here on a, on a Saturday that people will be able to buy tickets for. Um, but more, uh, details about those will follow in due course.
36:52
Thank you very much. I think you've heard it all. Uh, there's a lot of events and activities that we're expecting between now and the December when this exhibition will close.
37:01
But then we expect, um, uh, members of the community to come round and then have a, a look around and then see exactly what this exhibition is.
37:10
Um, I will be speaking with other people, um, but then at this moment, we're gonna say thank you to the, um, uh, the, the chairman of the trust who's been, uh, look-overlooking exactly what work is being done here.
37:24
Uh, we want to say thank you to the people who have actually volunteered and then obviously put their time and effort in putting this exhibition together. Thank you, and, uh, God bless. Uh, hello, everyone.
37:37
I think we've got, uh, the, uh, museum project manager, uh, Naomi. Uh, Naomi, can you do a little bit of introduction, let people who do not know you yet, let them know you, um, the, the work you do at the museum? Yeah.
37:50
Um, so I'm Naomi. I'm the museum project manager. Um, and my job is to lead on a, a wider project that we do at the museum, which is called Your Museum, Your Heritage.
38:00
The aim of the project, which is a National Lottery funded project, was to really embed, um, the Lowed Museum back in the, really in the heart of community and make it really relevant and really somewhere that people can walk and see their own stories when they come through the door.
38:14
So over the last four years, it is now, we've been working on a series of different projects, um, where we've been working really closely with, um, the community.
38:22
We've been gathering what we call our community curators, who are people in the community who either are really interested in working in museums and curating projects or have a specialist interest.
38:33
Um, so we've done six projects. This is the sixth one. Um, they've been really, um, wide-ranging. So we've done a project about the glass house industry in this area. We're currently doing Broxbourne at War.
38:44
Before that, we did a project about the Windrush generation in this area. And what's the other ones we've done? Um, we've done one about toys, so people's kind of memories of using toys in this area as well.
38:54
Um, so the idea is that we've got something that's really broad and that people can walk in and, and have their own sto- and add their own stories, too.
39:02
Yeah, I think we were speaking to Anthony, and Anthony, he's saying, you know, there are some voice recordings, the voices of the community, of the people who have gone through these wars, and then obviously recorded it, captured it, making it easy for people who wanted to understand exactly the impact of war in our local area, they get to hear.
39:19
The people who've been curating this, how would you want to maybe express your own gratitude for the work that they've done? Yeah.
39:27
I always say that I sort of run out of words in thanking these people because I thank them so often [laughs] for everything that they do. Um, we're a really small team at the museum, and we rely on our volunteers hugely.
39:37
We couldn't do it without it. We have a team of about fifty volunteers who do a range of different things. Um, so that might be anything from collections work to being front of house, um, to looking kind of...
39:48
We've got people that specialize in archaeology, and also for this project, we've got our co-community curators. So sometimes these are people that have already been involved with the museum, and sometimes they're not.
39:57
Some people they, people come in because they've got a specialist interest in this, in the work that we're doing. Um, I can't thank them enough really.
40:03
It's, it's-- The amount-- I always say when you look around the exhibition, you can't really [laughs], you can't really quite get a grasp of exactly how much work it takes to put on an exhibition like this.
40:13
And this exhibition, there were, I think, nine community curators who all took a specific area of interest, went away and researched it, wrote their own piece about it.
40:23
Um, and with, I mean, how do you get that kind of expertise? So we're really, really lucky, and we absolutely wouldn't, we wouldn't want to do it without them, but we absolutely also couldn't do it without them.
40:33
Uh, would you then be asking for additional volunteers if there is someone out there who, who's basically considering volunteering, w-would you say this place is a good place for them to do?
40:45
This is a great place to volunteer. I think if you talk to our volunteers, we've got a really close social community as well. Everybody here is really great friends. Um, we always need people.
40:55
At the moment, we're open two days a week. We want to be open more, but to do that, we need more people to be front of house, to be those kind of friendly faces that face the museum.
41:04
Um, but we're really-- We've got lots of opportunities for people.
41:07
So what we normally do is lots of people start with us, and they might start front of house, and when we get to know them, you know, if they've got a certain area of interest, then we try really to accommodate people.
41:15
And we've got a huge amount of skill. A number of people that work with us have recently retired, and they've, they've come to work with us, and they're just... The level of expertise they have is phenomenal.
41:26
They're professionals, so we're really grateful for that. So absolutely, yeah.
41:30
Just if it's something that pe-people are interested in doing, we're quite flexible as a volunteer, um, group as well, so there's no minimum commitment.
41:38
If, if you've got a bit of time and you're interested in heritage or you're interested in people or you're interested in DIY or you're interested in photography or, you know, there's a real range of things that we always need people to do.
41:48
So yes, absolutely. Thank you very much. Uh, I think everyone's saying it.
41:53
Uh, we had the, uh, chairman of the trust saying it, we had, uh, Tony saying it, and we also have-The museum, uh, project manager also saying it, if you have a bit of time to-- in you and you would like to help, uh, they are really keen to see you guys bringing your expertise.
42:08
They believe there is no-- there is flexibility in, in, in, in how they, uh, access your time. So if you have the willingness to do it, you know, it would be great for you to come around.
42:19
But then from what I'm seeing, this is a fantastic work that they've done here to put this, uh, exhibition together.
42:24
And, uh, I, I would really, really, uh, encourage anyone who's listening to this to come around, uh, Lowedge Museum to see exactly what we're talking about.
42:34
Today really is just for, uh, uh, the museum to appreciate the people who've done the work. There's, uh, nine community curators, a few other volunteers here doing one work, uh, something, uh, here and there.
42:47
Uh, so it'd be great. Uh, th-there's no point in me talking too much about it. You come and see yourself what has been put together here. Um, is there anything else you would like to add, uh, before we close?
42:59
Um, just to say everyone's welcome to involve. We're a really open community. We're open Fridays and Saturdays. Come and see us. If you want to get in touch, you can contact us at
[email protected]
.
43:11
All right, you've heard it. They're all on social media too. If you want to s-- go on social media and, uh, comment or direct message them if there's anything you're interested in.
43:21
You can also go to their website, uh, and see if, uh, any information you want. And I've been, uh, I think I've been informed that there might be some website coming through.
43:31
So whatever you see at the moment could be the old one. So the better new one is coming out soon. But yeah, check them out on their website. Thank you very much, and we'll speak soon. Thank you.
43:43
[outro music]
Voices of Our Towns
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