After the success of our social history inclusion project, See Me Too, celebrating diverse migration heritage in Swindon, we were thrilled to be approached by Nationwide Building Society to undertake a similar approach to bringing their archives up to date.
As Swindon’s biggest employer, the Archivist team at Nationwide, wanted to extend the archives of documents and minutes held within it with real-life experience of the people from around the world who had come to work there and build its success.
Over a period of 12 months, including the Covid-19 experience, over 25 individuals were interviewed and we documented their experience in intimate portraits in their own homes or within Nationwide’s offices to reflect on their shared experience. These were curated into 3 films on themes of Belonging, Journeys and Challenges.
The films formed the basis of workshops with secondary age students around themes of citizenship, diversity and welcome which were pleased to devise and deliver with the wonderful team at Swindon Schools of Sanctuary.
“I’ve learnt so much today about not judging a book by its cover. Everyone is different and everyone should be celebrated for who they are.”
Explore the individual stories, a Swindon timeline, and free educational resources on the dedicated website https://see-me-nationwide.org.uk
A free touring exhibition including family-friendly activities was at the McCarther Glen Outlet and Swindon Central Libary in 2022.
