Lord Mendoza visits the Collection

In late October we were excited to host a visit from Lord Mendoza, the Government’s Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, and officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

The Department has provided funds for the Saltaire Collection from the Culture Recovery Fund. Lord Mendoza was visiting Bradford District projects that received grant aid from the Fund in 2020.

We were able to show him some of the storyboards in Shipley College that we were able to create thanks to this funding. The 59 storyboards tell the history of the Exhibition and Salt buildings and part of Victoria Hall. We explained the importance of these to College staff and students who are an important audience for the Collection.

We shared our hopes for the future in our work to gain accreditation as a museum and a few of the fascinating stories that illuminate Saltaire’s heritage.

In a follow-up letter, Lord Mendoza praised the story boards for telling “an interesting and evocative story” in an inclusive way that reflects the diverse history of Saltaire. He thought the project had been a “great success”.