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Celebrating 10 Years Since London 2012 and Buckinghamshire’s Paralympic Legacy
Together We Build was a project to share the story of the Paralympics, the forerunner of which Dr Guttmann started in Stoke Mandeville in the 1940s; now known all over the world. The project was funded by National Heritage Lottery Fund with seed funding from Buckinghamshire Council, led by Buckinghamshire Culture and took place from July 2022 to October 2023.
Central to the project was the recruitment of 10 disabled Community Curators who then chose objects from the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Buckinghamshire Archives, Discover Bucks Museum and Waddesdon Manor’s collections. These items were displayed across the County in cultural venues. None of these objects had been on display before.
Going beyond these exhibitions as the initial core of the project, Together We Build also included a number of project strands that aim to ensure the ongoing legacy of the project and community involvement:
Each of the partner venues organised events closely linked to their chosen object developed with their Community Curator, to present the project idea and their ideas to the wider community. For those who were not able to travel to the exhibition venues, we created a virtual gallery.
We could not have done all the work without the wonderful input from our community curators. You can find out more about them and their experience of the project below.
Project partners organised training days, workshops and presentations at their venues to improve the understanding of the Paralympics and their values of inclusion and access provision for project partners and the wider community. This included a panel discussion on the legacy of the Paralympics (video recording link can be accessed below).
Over 200 students from the participating schools enjoyed an insight into the topics of access and inclusivity at a Schools’ Event at Waddesdon Mannor.
We ran a Community Grants Programme that gave communities and organisations the opportunity to apply for project funding to bring related ideas to life.
The project concluded with the publication of an Access Manifesto that has been developed with the project partners, individuals and community groups offering their expertise and lived experience.
For a full overview of the project, what happened and what we learned along the way, please take a look at our Evaluation Report:
Our Virtual Gallery
You can view our Together We Build Virtual Gallery here: https://www.artsteps.com/view/62f62f8ffe8b43a410c1dc86 (to get the best visual experience please use a laptop/desktop browser, but if you do use a mobile phone, then please use the Artsteps app). The Virtual Exhibition brings all of the objects and Community Curator stories together in one place, and can be viewed from home or on the move.
Selected Project Images
The Community Curators
Our Community Curators were key to the project. Here you can find out more about some of them and their experience of Together We Build here:
Christie – Community Curator for Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
I was interested in being involved in this project as I have been a work experience volunteer for the National Paralympic Heritage Trust and I see it as a privilege to preserve the history of the Paralympics and carry its message forward for disabled people around the world.
I go out to venues with NPHT to discuss the exhibits and the history of the mascots which is my speciality.
I find talking to people interesting and I love sharing my knowledge of these exhibits with them and also answering questions that they have.My ultimate goal is to be a curator of a well-respected organisation such as the National Paralympic Heritage Trust and I consider myself very lucky that I get to work with some fantastic people.With this project, I enjoyed the ability to get out of my comfort zone. I can be quite closed in and this forced me to open up. The biggest challenge was standing up on stage and talking publicly – it was something I had not done before, particularly speaking in front of people, my family & Tara, I didn’t want to mess up.
This project has helped my physically and mentally. I have had to be more independent, adult and serious. But I know what I’m doing. I am a different person to the boy who didn’t want to leave the house in 2021. I am happy to go out and do what I need as I’ve been part of something that means something to people.
I felt really proud of doing the project and having my family there and I hope it was a testament to them. I couldn’t have got there without them. I also know that my teachers were at the event, who taught me from when I was small and I hope I showed them and the school to be proud of me. I think this was a victory for Autism too and I hope that people know that even if you have autism you can step out in front of a crowd and do things. You should never think that you can’t, you just haven’t tried.
Simon – Community Curator for Bekonscot
I have been a fan of history and heritage since I was a child. I studied it for GCSE, A Level and at Queen Mary, University of London.
The London 2012 Paralympic Games changed my view of how I see disability sport and I’m learning now about how Buckinghamshire has been crucial for its birth and growth into becoming the games that are now watched by billions worldwide.
The project has enabled me to develop my interest and skills in working in the heritage sector and challenged me to learn to deal with meeting new people.
I most enjoyed meeting visitors who were London 2012 Games Makers or volunteers, telling me of the various roles that they did and the impact the Paralympics had on them. I have also had the opportunity to learn some new skills in collecting oral histories.
Sylvie – Community Curator for Chiltern Open Air Museum
My name is Sylvie and I am autistic. I was interested in becoming a Community Curator, because I would love to help promote and show off the wonderful things people with a disability do. I also love history and museums and have visited the Paralympic Museum at Stoke Mandeville and swam there at school. My mum was a London Ambassador at the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.
Maggii – Community Curator for Amersham Museum
I became interested in the project because I think it is important to keep people learning, by raising more awareness about the Paralympics and the mentality and mindfulness that is involved in it by all those involved, for example participants, staff and the public.
I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with other cultural venues. The staff and volunteers at Amersham Museum were very accommodating and made me feel very welcome. The project has helped me grow as a person and re-kindle my appreciation for photography and heritage.
Until I visited the museum I was unaware of some of the items that they had that link back to my childhood. I saw the Zoetrope that I remember seeing as a child as it inspired me to pursue photography. Seeing that object again has motivated me to keep going and build on my strengths.
Daniel – Community Curator for QPAC
I joined the project as I have been involved with other NPHT projects and I am interested in the Paralympics and disability. I found the whole thing really interesting: choosing the object and arranging the event with the artist and the spray painting was really good fun. I think I would enjoy working in this sector.
I had visited the QPAC years ago and since doing the project and getting to know the venue, I have started a weekly woodworking class and the teacher happens to be my old woodworking teacher from school! The Queens Park people have been really very friendly and I enjoy visiting.
Ben – Community Curator for Discover Bucks
I was interested in the role of Community Curator because I’m passionate about history and preservation. I aspire to have a career in academia and heritage and was curious about what the role of a curator entails. I got involved in the project via the National Paralympic Heritage Trust’s Digital Explorations project. I hadn’t visited Discover Bucks prior to the project because I wasn’t aware of its existence.
The project has meant a lot to me personally in terms of my skill development and confidence as I got to experience working alongside a professional artist and develop an event for the first time. It was a challenge for me to develop an event for a younger audience as I’m not very fond of children nor used to interacting with them and so I feel a great sense of achievement in being involved in the project.
Andy – Community Curator for Waddesdon
My name is Andy Shipley. I’m visually impaired and a long-term resident of Bucks. I joined the project because I’m very interested in contributing to the development of collaborative projects, to demonstrate the talent and potential of disabled people in the county. You can find out more about me and my work on my website here https://www.natural-inclusion.org
Workshops and Training Events
Training and Access Awareness Day
Towards the start of the project, there were 6 training sessions which took place between July and September 2022, covering Disability Awareness, Disability Confidence in Customer Service, Inclusive Environments, Communication and Access, Introduction to Autism delivered by:
Feedback from participants:
Nick delivered a fantastic training session that enabled all participants to speak openly and question him unreservedly about our understanding of disabilities both visable and invisable. We discussed the correct and preferred vocabulary around disability. Nick presented some very interesting statistics of which most participants were previously unaware.”
Many of us came away with a much better understanding of the role Customer Service can play in ensuring the 14 million disabled people in the UK are adequately catered for. Importantly, the training also empowered us to become more confident in our communications with disabled customers”.
Panel Discussion
Our Together We Build Online Panel: 10 Years on from London 2012 took place on Zoom at 6pm on 6th October 2022 and shared the reflections of our speakers, as well as discussion about the Paralympic heritage of Bucks. You can view a recording of the panel here:
Together We Build Schools Event, Waddesdon Manor
The Schools Day at Waddesdon Manor was attended by 192 children from Buckingham Park School, Long Meadow School, The Redway School and Bierton CE Combined School.
Buckinghamshire Schools were invited to attend a Together We Build Paralympic Schools Day on 20th September 2022 with a whole range of activities supported by the four project partners: National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Discover Bucks Museum, Bucks Archives and Waddesdon Manor. Nearly 200 school children and teachers attended the event and took part in activities linked to citizenship, PSHE and art and design.
The activities were themed around the four Paralympic values of Determination, Inspiration, Courage and Equality and the children collected stamps on their card to demonstrate the activities they had completed linked to each value. They got to meet Will Perry, a real Paralympian, visited the pop-up museum from the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, played Boccia and completed many more activities.
Students from the following schools took part in the event:
Long Meadow School, Buckingham Park School, The Redway SEND School, Bierton CE School
Prior to the visit, most students did not know the significance of the Paralympic Movement to Buckinghamshire. Through the activities arranged, several teachers reported that it had changed theirs and their students view of disability:
Teacher from Bierton CE School.
The students left, knowing that disability shouldn’t stop you from succeeding’
One year 6 student from Buckingham Park commented that
I have learnt that you can include everyone, even if they have a disability or difference’
In relation to the School’s Day we created a teacher’s resource pack
Community Grants Programme
Within the project, we were able to offer Community Grants of up to £2,000 for volunteer-led and cultural organisations or community groups to deliver heritage-inspired activities in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the London 2012 Paralympics.
This is how we ran the application process:
There activities should take place in Autumn 2022/Spring 2023.We were keen to see a broad range of grass-roots and diverse organisations taking part in the project.
Download the Community Grant processes and criteria here:
Applications werw made via online form accessed here: https://forms.gle/iKCg2WpoXyXUvAxv6
Successful community grant projects
These applicants successfully applied for grants and were proposing the following projects:
‘United Voices’ with Community Youth Ventures
Working with students from Alfriston School, Community Youth Ventures will be embedding the values of the Paralympic games of determination, inspiration, courage, and equality. ‘United Voices’ connects young women (from SEND backgrounds) with the stories of local people who share similar pathways or share a similar battle, challenge or opinion or ‘voice’. Through a series of workshops, interactions, interviews and activities, the young people collected artefacts, photos, interviews and creative outputs to show ‘United Voices’ connects people together across the county, no matter their background, ability or circumstance.
We explored the four themes (determination, inspiration, courage, and equality) and how they relate to the lives of the young people. We researched nationally and locally who is an inspiration and how they are connected to the areas the young people identify. The shared stories ranged from celebrating courage around overcoming equality and acceptance to become a champion rower, inspiration from being determined to overcome educational challenges through working with horses or making sure older generations are included in society.
We visited local people and projects and catalogued their views and stories.
We have now compiled all of this project into a display called ‘United Voices’ in Discover Bucks Museum, available to view from Friday 10 February – Saturday 25 February 2023.
Wycombe Museum
Our project combines work to make Wycombe Museum more inclusive, provide space for a community exhibition on the Paralympics in our downstairs cafe space and produce a guide for groups and individuals with disabilities to make the most of their museum visit.
At Wycombe Museum we have been exploring different barriers to access to deliver on one of the museum values to be inclusive and accessible to all. As part of this we are exploring how we can engage with different communities and support them in engaging with the museum and becoming part of the museum community.
We are currently working in partnership with Talkback and Bucks College Group to offer work experience and support people with disabilities in training for work. These partners are helping us look at how the museum works for groups with specific disabilities and access needs and address the gap in our provision for groups and individuals with specific needs.
Milton Keynes Museum
With support from MK Community Foundation, Milton Keynes Museum is proud to host the Paralympic Heritage Stories Exhibition following the completion of its UK tour in 2022. The Museum is working with local disability groups and accessible sports organisations to add a Milton Keynes flavour to the exhibition with local stories and sporting heroes. Together, we will create content that promotes the legacy of the Paralympics, celebrates the achievements of MK Paralympians and highlights the array of accessible sports available across the city.
The Museum has ambitious plans to tell the story of Milton Keynes for and with the people who, live and work here. Sport is an important part of MK’s cultural life but it is an area that the Museum is just beginning to present in its heritage stories. We seek support from Together We Build to explore the Paralympic Heritage Trust Collection with community curators who have lived experience of disability and accessible sport.
Participants will be invited to select four objects from the collection and interpret these for visitors and share the story behind their choices. Through this process we will learn from the successes of the Together We Build project in Buckinghamshire and trial and experiment with new ways of working at MK Museum. The resulting exhibition will appear at MK Museum alongside the Paralympic Stories Exhibition.
Theatre Shed
More info coming soon
Access Manifesto
All the partners in the project have been working together towards creating an Access Manifesto which will be launched in Spring 2023. As part of its development, we have consulted with over 30 individuals with lived experience of disability and organisations working with people with lived experience of disability.
This is initially as a manifesto that as partners we can sign up to however it is hoped that it will be taken up by other cultural organisations as well.
The project is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Buckinghamshire Council. It is led by Buckinghamshire Culture, National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Buckinghamshire Archives, Discover Bucks Museum and Waddesdon.
Thanks to National Lottery players
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