Stories of Enfield has brought together groups from across the borough to share ideas about Enfield’s heritage

Telling the story of heritage in Enfield​.‘Stories of Enfield’ has brought together groups from across the borough to share ideas about Enfield’s heritage and to receive training in planning and delivering cultural heritage work. A total of 32 groups put forward ideas and a steering group including local residents selected the best projects to take forward.In all, 13 community heritage projects will receive National Lottery funding through the scheme, all of which will explore aspects of Enfield’s heritage and provide exciting opportunities for borough residents. The projects reflect the rich and diverse identity of Enfield, including the histories of different cultural groups, buildings, parks and rivers and even the “Enfield” itself, the borough’s heraldic symbol. Residents will have the opportunity to attend story telling sessions, follow poetry and art trails, visit exhibitions, watch a new short film about Edmonton resident “The Boxing Bishop” and take part in learning about and celebrating the borough’s history.
 
The 13 grant funded projects are:
 
• Sisters in Islam Muslim Youth Club will be working with volunteers to record and showcase the stories of first and second-generation Bangladeshi people in Enfield.
 
• Christ Church Southgate will be exploring the heritage of their pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows through events with Enfield residents, including stained glass making workshops.
 
• St Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls, in partnership with local artist Joe Robinson, will be engaging students with the heritage of the Enfield beast and family heraldry. 
 
• Enfield Racial Equality Council will be working with volunteers to investigate historic and contemporary issue faced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Enfield. This will result in an exhibition. 
 
• Fisher Cheng Architects and community organisation REACT will be installing a new poetry trail linking Fore Street with Meridian Water. 
 
• Enfield Archaeological Society will be excavating at Elsyng Palace and putting on Tudor themed events for Enfield residents.
 
• Pymmes Park Bowls Club, in partnership with artists Olivier Wright and Amy Dolan, will portray the history and heritage of bowls and bowls clubs through community murals. 
 
• Forty Hall Vineyard will be inviting diverse migrant community groups from Enfield to produce an exhibition exploring memorable green spaces and sanctuaries.
 
• The Turkish Cypriot Community Association will be exploring migration and the impact the Turkish Cypriot community has made across Enfield. 
 
• Palmers Green Action Team will be threading the poetry of renowned poet Stevie Smith on surfaces through Palmers Green High Street using calligraphy.
 
• MHA Communities will be delivering an intergenerational project where young volunteers interview older residents about their memories of Enfield. These interviews will then be accessible through QR codes across Enfield Town. 
 
• Pymmes BrookERS will be diving into the past, present and future of the Pymmes Brook through walking tours, a commissioned film, and performance poetry.
 
• Talkies Community Cinema will be exploring the life and work of Archbishop Costakis Evangelou and the powerful impact he has made in Enfield through a commissioned film.
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Enfield Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Ian Barnes, said: “These projects demonstrate how heritage can make a real difference to people’s lives, building a positive sense of place. We’re incredibly proud of the contribution all of our communities have made to Enfield’s heritage and that is reflected in the grant awards.
 
“We are committed to connecting residents and bringing our communities together by embracing Enfield’s shared identity to help create a borough where people from all backgrounds get on well together.”
 
These projects reflect the Council’s new cultural strategy, Culture Connects, which focuses on connecting people through celebrations of shared Enfield identity. 
 
All the projects will be developed and delivered over the following year, running from October 2021 to November 2022. Events as part of these projects will be announced through Enfield Council’s communications platforms.