‘Coming in from the Cold’ is about raising the profile of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in Greater Manchester. This latest project of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust seeks to create opportunities for capturing histories of under-represented communities, by surveying the landscape of BME archives. The Trust focuses on collecting the histories and heritage of local BME communities through oral history and archiving projects. Our Director, Jackie Ould says that:
“I’ve been offering support to community-based heritage projects for a few years now. It has ranged from providing oral history training, helping with exhibitions and archiving. I’ve wanted to support these BME projects because I believe passionately that the city’s archives need to reflect the diversity of the population.”
It is important to the Trust, to foster and support community groups by continuing to preserve their stories, as Jackie Ould recognised that:
“The demand has always exceeded my own capacity to respond. That is why I conceived this project – so we can strengthen our offer and service to community groups. It is the largest grant-funded project we have ever gone for, and I’m delighted that we have been given this positive support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.”
Within the next four years, ‘Coming in from the Cold’ seeks to showcase and share BME community heritage projects, and store the records into our collection, and our partners, Archives+ at Manchester Central Library. It is about gaining new insights in securing the legacy of culturally diverse communities of Greater Manchester in the city’s archives, by continuing to support, feature and inspire BME community groups to own their place in the history of Manchester.
