DAST
are starting the New Year with two new projects.
Firstly,
we must thank the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant of £3,800. This is for a one year project that we will
be working on throughout this year.
Called ‘Our Asbestos Heritage’, we will be collecting memories,
observations and photographs from people who worked with asbestos from the
1940s to the 1990s. We will use this
information to make a catalogue of trades, types of workplaces and household
objects which involved asbestos. We will prepare a leaflet and a display and
share our findings using a website and social media. The overall aims include
to record this part of our industrial history, and inform those who work with
historic buildings and artefacts so that they can be vigilant. Leaflets will be
sent out to museums and magazines specialising in vintage homewares.
You
can contribute!
·
Did
you work with asbestos?
If so,
please complete one of our questionnaires – ask Sarah for a copy. We can help you to fill it in if required.
·
Do
you hold any photographs of someone at work with asbestos or in an environment
where it was heavily used?
If so,
please email a copy or allow us to borrow it so that we can scan a copy.
·
Do
you have any photographs of objects that contained asbestos?
Please
share them with the project.
·
We
will shortly be launching a new Twitter account and Facebook page devoted to
this project.
Please
follow us and contribute your thoughts – look out for the links on our existing
social media pages.
Secondly,
January is Artisans For Asbestos month.
We
are asking our supporters to while away the dark, long evenings by crafting
something for DAST to sell. You could
knit, sew, crochet or anything you fancy.
Please make objects that people would be interested in buying from us,
either at our events or from an online shop. Some ideas include:
·
Hats/scarves/gloves
·
Brooches/corsages
·
Toys
·
Cushion
covers
·
Cards/gift
tags
·
Bags/purses
·
Artwork
Have
a go! Share your works in progress on
our Facebook page.
If
you’re not crafty yourself, why not ask a friend to relative to make something
on your behalf?
