FAQ’s
What is Her Salisbury Story?
Her Salisbury Story is a celebration of the women of Salisbury past and present. We will be finding out about the contributions of a diverse group of women who have lived in Salisbury in the past as well as discovering the ‘hidden heroes’ of today.
Who is responsible for making it happen?
The lead organisation is Soroptimist International of Salisbury, the local Club of a global women’s organisation which seeks to make the world a better place for women and girls.
What activities will be happening?
There will be two main strands of activity culminating in an event in October 2021. The first strand involves seeking out and researching historic women and the second is identifying and interviewing current women.
What are the intended outcomes of the project?
Our website will hold all the information we have collected as a resource for the community including schools etc. We will include recorded extracts from the interviews with contemporary women.
We will put together a Her Salisbury Story walking trail around the city which will be available online and in hard copy.
We will hold an event to celebrate the women of Salisbury and to increase awareness of the resource we have created.
How will the project be funded?
We have received for a grant from the Heritage Fund and will also be looking at sources of additional funding.
How could I get involved?
There will be lots of opportunities to help. For example, we need people to do the interviews, research the historic women, get involved with developing the walking trail and generally to help out at events.
Will training be provided?
Yes we will be providing training on research, oral history interviewing and transcribing for those who require training.
Will everyone who volunteers be able to access the training?
Unfortunately we will only have a limited number of training places available so depending on numbers it is possible that we may not be able to train everyone who expresses an interest.
This sounds like a huge project. How much of my time will it take?
We will be flexible as to commitment but there is an expectation that everyone who attends the training will either conduct three oral history interviews or research four women.
Do I have to be a member of the Soroptimists to join in?
No, but we’d love it if you came along to one of our meetings which are currently happening on-line but in normal times take place at the Red Lion at 7pm on the 4th Monday of the month.
How is the project affected by Covid 19?
Obviously there are certain aspects of the project that we have been unable to progress at present such as face to face interviews and event planning. However the steering group is continuing to meet via Zoom and we are currently looking at different and innovative ways to progress the project during lockdown. A major breakthrough is that the archive where we will be depositing our recordings has now said they will be prepared to take MP3 recordings which means interviews will be able to take place on line. It is also now possible to visit libraries.
The formal training in research and interviewing skills is currently being commissioned and will probably be delivered via Zoom during the autumn.
Both the historic and contemporary women streams of the project will be looking to recruit people to get involved – there is plenty for everyone to do.