A new project is to get under way this month in Ollerton Library, looking at the town’s past and present and working with schoolchildren and community groups.

Ollerton: Then and Now aims to increase engagement with the area’s heritage, provide opportunities for all ages, and boost contributions to the Inspire Picture Archive.

The project is being funded by an Arts Council microgrants programme that gives libraries freedom and space to test ideas.

Inspire, which manages libraries and Nottinghamshire Archives, is committed to documenting the transformation of Nottinghamshire’s landscapes and communities.

Of particular interest are former mining towns like Ollerton, where there are gaps in collections like photographs, oral history, and more.

In early 2025, free workshops will be created with a professional photographer, targeted to adults in the community whose memories and accounts will be valuable to the project. A priority will be to add contemporary images of Ollerton to the Inspire Picture Archive, boosting Inspire’s collection and creating opportunities to compare the town ‘then and now’.

A visual artist will also be commissioned to work with a primary school in Ollerton, creating art maps using colour, pattern, layering and mark-making, and taking inspiration from local historical maps.

The materials created will be used in an exhibition that will tour at least three Inspire libraries in the spring and summer, accompanied by free public workshops for families.

Peter Gaw, chief executive officer of Inspire, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this funding and are thankful to Libraries Connected for giving us the opportunity to address this need in the Ollerton area.

“Heritage and preserving the Nottinghamshire story is something we’re passionate about, and this project will be significant in encouraging new members of the community to get involved. I’m excited for this work to begin and can’t wait to witness the contributions made by those engaging with the project in their exhibition next year.”

Isobel Hunter , chief executive of Libraries Connected, added: “Congratulations to all the successful recipients of our first round of microgrants. As always I’m incredibly impressed by the innovative and creative ideas that libraries come up with, all based on the needs and priorities of their communities.

“The aim of the microgrants programme is to give libraries the freedom and space to test ideas and try new approaches. These projects will make a big impact in their own right, but we hope it will give libraries the confidence to bid for larger and longer-term funding.”

More information about Ollerton: Then and Now and the exhibition will be at inspireculture.org.uk/OllertonThenNow