Pompey in 15 Items
The project Pompey in15 Items was inspired by and made with members of the refugee and asylum seeker community in Portsmouth as many were unaware of Portsmouth’s heritage and most had not visited the city’s top heritage attractions. ArtReach, supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, created the concept of Pompey in 15 Items to introduce a small number of individuals to Portsmouth’s history personally and to give them the opportunity to share a portion of what they learnt with others. The project brought refugee and asylum-seeking individuals together with Portsmouth residents, to experience tours of five of Portsmouth’s historic attractions. Following the tours, the participants each selected one or two items that they found particularly interesting or inspiring and wrote a short piece introducing the history of that item, which have been put together in this booklet.
Beyond this project ArtReach continues to work closely with partners across the city to provide opportunities for the local Refugee and Asylum Seeker Community through Journeys Festival International and the ongoing Journeys strand of activity.
ArtReach would like to thank Heritage Lottery Fund and National Lottery Players for supporting the project, British Red Cross, MAKE at Aldingbourne Trust and the venues that supported the visits: Mary Rose Museum, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth Cathedral, Portsmouth Guildhall and Portsmouth Museum. And of course, a huge thank you and congratulations to the participants for contributing their time and hard work to the creation of Pompey in 15 Items.