Can you recall the excitement of the rides at Mitcham Fair? The smell of candy floss and the music on the merry-go-round? Arts company Digital Drama are creating an exciting multimedia project, All the Fun of the Fair, to celebrate one of London’s favourite fairgrounds. They are looking to collate local people’s memories of the fair – from the 1950s all the way up to the present day – as well as recruiting for volunteers to help with these interviews and recordings.
Volunteers will take part in the creation of the heritage project, learning new skills around how to conduct and record oral histories. Plus there will be opportunities for volunteers to blog, create web content and photographs of the project. To join, sign up to participate in the training day on 20th July by emailing info@digitaldrama.org or phoning 07525 205 148. Places are limited so sign up as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.
Digital Drama has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £67,400 for an exciting heritage project, All the Fun of the Fair! in Mitcham, South London. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on the heritage of Mitcham Fair, the people who run it and those who remember it. Mitcham Fair is regarded as one of the oldest in England, having been granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I, and is held in fond memory by people of all ages. This multimedia heritage project will look at the role of fairgrounds in society, the variety of entertainments on offer over the years. It will bring together the memories of both the showmen and the local fair-goers to create an audio trail, film and animations by local young people to be enjoyed for future generations.
Digital Drama is a multimedia production company that works with communities and project partners to create drama, documentaries and interactive media. Local partners supporting All the Fun of the Fair! include Merton Heritage & Local Studies Centre, Clarion Housing, The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, Canons House & Grounds, SHINE and The Green Arts Centre. All the Fun of the Fair! will be launched in July 2021 at Canons House & Grounds and activities will run through until November 2021. The short films, audio trail and interviews created will remain online after this date.
Kate Valentine of Digital Drama commented, We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The project will explore the rich heritage of Mitcham Fair through the sharing of community memories of the fair and the creation of audio, film and animation to celebrate this much-loved part of life in South London.
