Project Progress: March 2021
This month our main focus has been getting ready to celebrate Mary’s birthday, as we do every April. This year there is a whole week of events planned: from lectures with Barbara Taylor and Amartya Sen to musical performances celebrating Mary and other women from history, there is something for everyone. We hope you will join us!
Anya, our intern from the University of East London, has also been busy making sure your half term was full of fun learning about life in the past. Anya’s five videos about crafts from the past are available on our Youtube channel so you can join in safely from home. From making your own whirligig to creating your own Georgian pinch pot, there are activities for all budgets, resources and skillsets.
Juli, our resident ballet teacher, has been offering her free classes on our platform for the local community too. These are inclusive Zoom sessions that take place every Thursday at 11.30am. If you would like to discuss any access arrangements for this class, please email amy@new-unity.org and we will ensure we accommodate your needs.
And our schools’ programme has been extremely busy, with 225 learners from Hackney and Islington tuning in via Zoom to meet Mary Wollstonecraft (or indeed a very convincing version of Mary as portrayed by Rebecca Mordan of Scary Little Girls theatre company). Students joined Mary for a 30 minute session to learn more about her life and ask their own questions to Britain’s first feminist. Feedback from schools and learners was extremely positive and we hope to work with the Wollstonecraft Society to give this opportunity to more learners in the near future!
What’s coming up in the future?
Soon you will be able to book to visit the Meeting House again – either for guided tours by our excellent volunteers, or for a self-guided visit using our new audio guide system
Soon we’ll be inviting people to take part in our community quilt project – threading together the radical histories of our local area
Get your walking boots on – our fantastic volunteer Caroline is shortly set to release her first “Radical History” walk of Newington Green and the surrounding area. It explores everything from anarchists in Stoke Newington to school kids on strike in Hackney Wick. It’s a great way to stretch your legs and find out more about your local area!
We’re busy sorting out exhibitions in the future too – if you liked Dan de la Motte’s talk then keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on his exhibition at the Meeting House in September to celebrate and tell the story of the art of the Gay Liberation Front
