Explore York Libraries and Archives Annual Review 2025-26 - Flipbook - Page 17
Better together!
Clifton Explore acted as a focal point where
people could engage with archive material
and take part in sessions through our National
Portfolio Organisation programme.
People found fresh, meaningful ways to engage
with York’s heritage, explore the archives,
express their experiences and feel part of a
shared cultural journey.
Positive learning experiences
More students accessed workshops,
placements and collaborative projects,
using the archive as both a learning
resource and a creative catalyst.
141
13
students
higher
education
workshops
4
institutions
Co-creation successes
Creative heritage partnerships reached new
audiences through projects like Outside the Box,
developed with York Civic Trust. They showed
how archival material can inspire contemporary
art and public engagement.
Representing lived experience
Disabled participants helped shape Shout,
Grow, Mend: Stories of Disability, York’s first
archive collection centred on their voices.
Working with Next Door But One and artist
Stephen Lee Hodgkins, they created powerful,
performance led work that many described as
emotional and transformative.
“Working on Shout, Grow, Mend
was an incredible experience… a
powerful act of disabled joy and
solidarity I will never forget.”
Belonging through heritage
Across our creative and heritage activities,
people grew in confidence, built new
friendships and felt a stronger sense of
belonging. Participants spoke about the
value of seeing their histories represented
and sharing their experiences. This feedback
shows how cultural participation strengthens
community connection through the stories that
shape York and how residents preserve and
experience their city’s heritage together.
Explore Annual Review 2025/26
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