Barnstaple Stories is a new collection of short films uncovering some fascinating stories of Barnstaple life in days gone by. The project was commissioned by Barnstaple Town Council to record and share personal and family histories of life in the town.
Amanda McCormack, Creative Director of North Devon Moving Image (NDMI) who produced the films, says the project uncovered some delightful anecdotes.
"We held a drop-in event at Barnstaple's Guildhall in November, inviting people to come in and share their stories. The interviewees talked about their personal memories of growing up and living in Barnstaple and we were captivated by the little details of everyday life which are now just that - memories."
Reaction to the films has been really positive and the sharing event was such a success that Barnstaple Town Council have decided to run a monthly local history scrap-booking event. The first meeting will be at The Guildhall on Friday 4 March 2016 and is a chance for people to come along and bring their stories, photographs and documents. From the information gathered, the group will produce the Barnstaple History Scrapbook to preserve and share precious details of life in Barnstaple.
The Barnstaple Stories films are currently available on the North Devon Moving Image website at:
http://www.northdevonmovingimage.org.uk/films.html
and will soon be available to view on the touch screen display at St Anne's Arts Centre in Barnstaple.
