A NEW creative heritage initiative to aid dementia sufferers and their families has been launched in North East Lincolnshire thanks to a £4,000 Heritage Lottery Fund, Sharing Heritage grant.

Led by Lincs Inspire Libraries and thanks to National Lottery players, the Threads of the Past project will enable local people to share and recall their memories and explore the past through the use of stitchwork, textiles, artefacts and fabrics.

Photographs from the Local History Library will  be used to aid reminiscence and participants will be inspired by local mixed media artists Nicky Dillerstone to recreate the image and their memories in textile and stitching.  We will also encourage people to bring in their own local history photographs and other historical artefacts including fabrics, items of clothing and interior design items from various decades in the 20thcentury to be used as prompts and for inspiration.

The funding will help to enrich the lives of participants, their families and carers.  Volunteers are being recruited to support the project and they will receive a short creative training programme prior to helping deliver the workshops.  There will be a focus on developing self-expression through creativity and increasing awareness of heritage items and the value they can have in helping people to piece together the past and bring history to life.

The Threads of the Past project is an innovative way of utilising the Library Local History Photograph Collection and will provide people in local care settings with the opportunity to learn more about heritage.

The first series of workshops will take place at St Andrew's Hospice in January 2016 followed by a second series at Strand Court in March 2016.

If you would like to find out more about Threads of the Past or reminiscence work that is delivered by Lincs Inspire Libraries, please contact Derek O'Connell, derek.o'connell@lincsinspire.com / 01472 323617