Councillors Kim Groves, Judith Blake and Paul Truswell (Labour, Middleton Park) are encouraging children to get involved in the ‘History Detectives Club’.
The new youth group is focusing on the rich history and archaeology of Middleton Park and surrounding area. The group will be exploring their local heritage, learning lots of new skills and making new friends during fun, interactive sessions.
As part of the Parks for People project, local school children were given the opportunity to take part in the Middleton Park School History Project. It helped the children appreciate the importance of the heritage of Middleton Park and how archaeology can be used to explore the remains. The History Detectives will build on this interest.
Middleton Park History Detectives is led by professional archaeologists from Leeds based organisation Archaeological Services WYAS (ASWYAS) and is being developed in association with the Community Archaeologist Trainee, Megan Clement. Megan recently joined ASWYAS as part of a scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve community involvement in local history and archaeology, in particular with young people.
The first session explored how archaeologists use different techniques to discover the past and the young people had the chance to handle real archaeological objects, some of which are 2000 years old. All the sessions will involve lots of practical, fun and inspiring activities.
Councillor Groves is delighted that this exciting new activity is now up and running and hopes it will help to introduce a new generation of Middleton Park enthusiasts.
Councillor Kim Groves (Labour, Middleton Park) said:
“The History Detectives Club is a really exciting initiative and will help bring the heritage of Middleton Park alive for young people. Along with the Visitor Centre, Cafe and other improvements brought about by the Parks for People project, this activity will help establish the Park as one of the top green spaces in Leeds.”
