In July, our Archivist Hope departed Riverside for a new role within the archive of the Royal Albert Hall. Hope’s contribution to the heritage work we do here has been fantastic. Although she brought passion to all of her responsibilities, as a long-term Whovian, she particularly enjoyed anything associated with Doctor Who! She was also invaluable during the research and delivery for the various exhibitions we have mounted (yes, including a Doctor Who retrospective!). We will miss Hope and wish her the very best for the future.
In August, we shared the first of our oral history interviews on the ‘Our Story’ section of the Riverside Studios website. It is great to finally give the public the opportunity to listen to (or read) the individual memories of those who have worked at Riverside over the years. These surprising, insightful and often funny conversations have provided valuable new perspectives on Riverside, not just for our audiences but for our staff and collaborators also. As an introduction to the interviewees, we have also composed a brief biography for each of them, to contextualize their time spent in Hammersmith. Be sure to visit the website here and delve into these fascinating personal histories.
September saw our team of six oral history volunteers (responsible for research, interviewing and transcribing) interviewed by our independent project evaluator about their experiences working on the project. From my own perspective, they have been wonderfully dedicated, enthusiastic and capable colleagues, who have fully embraced the work involved and made this element of the wider heritage project one of the most successful and rewarding. Although their feedback so far has been gathered, the oral history project will continue – with two new interviews already lined up for October.
