When Alarum Productions were forced to cancel the final public events of their I Dig Canals project, their disappointment was quickly replaced by determination to find other ways of sharing the wealth of stories they had collected from Black Country women.
Their now-virtual celebration event on Sunday 31st May at 6pm will be available on YouTube for anyone to attend from the comfort of their own homes.
The I Dig Canals project has collected women’s stories about their involvement in campaigns to save canals from the end of the war to the 1970s. Women were interviewed, archives were visited and some of the material is shared in a book, a series of podcasts and a short documentary film.
The 31st May event will bring to a close eleven months of work, launch the book and show the film for the very first time.
No charge to attend
Thanks to project funding from lottery players via the National Lottery Heritage Fund, there is no charge to attend.
To access the event, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJbVymUawk4&feature=youtu.be or visit https://alarumtheatre.co.uk/ or the Alarum Facebook page where there will be a YouTube link.
The presentation will begin at 6pm and last about 30 minutes; Alarum Directors, Heather Wastie and Kate Saffin, and Project Manager Nadia Stone will give a taste of the kind of material collected and be there to answer questions once the film has ended.
If you have any questions about the project in advance, email us at [email protected], and we will include your questions in the event.
Book and podcasts
Copies of the book will soon be winging their way to everyone who has contributed, and it will be on general sale via Alarum after the official launch.
The podcast series, which includes women sharing their stories in their own words on topics as varied as restoration, campaigning, love, boating, and childcare, is available on SoundCloud.
