A detonated first world war hand grenade was among items added to a special exhibition as a village celebrated its history.

Clipstone Community Regeneration Group has successfully completed an initiative that marked 100 years of the village and its people.

Thanks to a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Clipstone Community History Project gathered and preserved valuable oral histories that shed light on rich local heritage.

The project focused on five key topics — railways; Clipstone Camp, a first world war Army camp); Clipstone Colliery, which closed in 2003, and mining strikes; the community; and unmarried mother’s home Gwendoline Grove House.

A total of 34 interviews from 30 individuals were recorded, capturing nearly 40 hours of stories from the people who lived them, with first world war stories passed down through generations.

The recordings have been transcribed and submitted to the East Midlands Oral History Archive at Leicester University, where they will be preserved for at least 100 years.

Due to the success of the project, the archive has agreed to keep the collection open, allowing future oral histories to be added.
Rachel Staley, the leader of the project, which ran from February 2023 to the end of August 2024, said: “It was an absolute privilege to hear great stories from the mouths of the people who lived them.

“These recordings can inform future generations for years to come.”

Soundbites of recordings can be heard online at www.youtube.com/@ClipstoneCommunityHistory

The project not only aimed to collect oral histories, but also to bring people together through a series of events, memory cafés, and a month-long exhibition hosted by Clipstone Social Club throughout August.

The exhibition was well received, with many residents contributing additional information and memorabilia, including a detonated hand grenade dug up in a garden from Clipstone WW1 Camp.

Several booklets were also produced, including one documenting Reg Taylor’s second world war Navy tales, providing further resources for the community to connect with its history.

As part of the project’s legacy, a portable version of the exhibition is being printed and will travel across the community.

Rachel worked with a team of five volunteers on the project, which also involved outreach to children with Bilsthorpe Mining Museum and Live & Local. Volunteer Louise Anderson said: “I met so many interesting individuals and I learned so much, it was a real privilege.”

Eleven-year-old Arthur, who attended history walks, added: “I learned a lot about the colliery and the first world war training camp, and enjoyed finding remnants of a railway in Clipstone.”

The project featured history talks, walks, and memory cafés, culminating in a well-attended launch night of the exhibition.

Former Clipstone miner turned poet and playwright Alan Dawson, who was also interviewed for the project, had one of his poems performed by an actor.

He said: “Stories are the cement that holds communities together… without shared stories, there is no community.”

The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Clipstone Social Club, East Midlands Oral History Archive. and all local volunteers and residents who contributed to the success of the community history project were thanked.