This is your heritage, stories from the Indian community

South Gloucestershire's new Museums and Heritage Officer Alison Catlin reflects on the conclusion of a successful project

Our Indian Stories Project sought to find and share unexplored stories of Indian heritage, migration, settlement, and what life is like today. The project was developed from conversations with the South Gloucestershire Race Equalities Network, supported by the Avon Indian Community Association and received funding from Arts Council England.

Its legacy is available for everyone to share at https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/indian-heritage-stories/. There are 12 unique films capturing different stories and experiences as well as learning resources for primary schools. Although the stories are rooted in South Gloucestershire, they have a wider resonance for communities everywhere.  The project output, including oral history interviews, will be lodged with Gloucestershire Archives for permanent preservation.

 We are hugely grateful to the Indian community, to our independent museums and their volunteers, to the project officers and filmmaker, Hardik Gauurev, and the many other people who were involved for making the project possible. Bringing together and supporting all these partners was a final labour of love by Jane Marley, our Museums and Heritage Officer, who has now retired. It is a testament to her dedication and care that the project was so successful, more than meeting its objectives and leaving a lasting link to these significant lived experiences. We hope you enjoy sharing them with us.