London Stadium Learning was previously known as the Inspire Learning Zone, run by Newham Council staff, it operated from a space within the West Ham United Football Club since 1998.
In May 2016 the Inspire Learning Zone was awarded Heritage Lottery Funding for a project aimed at capturing the Club’s early life, its time at the Boleyn Ground, to its move to the new home in the London Stadium, whilst also introducing young people and the community to Heritage skills.
The archived material including artefacts, pictures and recorded stories from the Club and local community are now resources for educational activities in schools, youth clubs and colleges in Newham.
We felt strongly that the children and future community of East London should have the opportunity to learn about the history of the local area, in which West Ham United F.C. has played such an important part. The Club’s life spans a fascinating history, beginning with its birth at the Thames Iron Works in 1895.
The Upton park home of the ‘Hammers’ had locational links to Henry the Eighth’s wife Anne Boleyn. The heritage also includes the Austerity Games, two world wars, the 1966 world cup, FA cup success, changing communities, diverse populations and cultural clashes. We aimed to capture the essence behind what it is to be a West Ham United F.C. supporter, the thoughts and feelings from fans, shop owners, whose many businesses on Green street carried the colours or name of the Club, and how local residents felt about the Club’s move to its new home.
We have archived all of the resources and made them accessible to view through this website, a GPS based App as well as producing lesson plans, visiting school and a touring exhibition. Most of the activities that informed these resources, took place in 2016 and 2017, which included the celebration of the 50th anniversary of England winning the world cup. West Ham United F..C were instrumental in this as its players Bobby Moore, and goal scorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were all in the team. When the West Ham players returned to Newham in 1966 afterwards, Green Street and Upton Park was packed with the community coming together to celebrate. We want to reignite this passion and pride in our children and young people. For example; the ‘world cup sculpture’, known locally as ‘The Champions’ is situated at the end of Green street near the site of the Boleyn. It was commissioned by Newham Council and West Ham Football Club and was unveiled in 2003 by Prince Andrew. This statue has brought about its own stories and significance to those who live around it.
Whilst some may feel little connection to the large stadium that overshadowed their homes, many became firm supporters and even developed their businesses around the needs of the thousands of fans that swarmed the streets on match days, even if they never stepped foot inside the Club themselves.
With the Club leaving Upton Park and moving to the London Stadium, there has been a big impact on all that have a relationship with it, from the fans to those that played there, from the local shop keepers to the staff that work there. There are numerous stories to be told, some of which we have captured for the next generations to enjoy and learn from.
By working with East Community Heritage, we were able to develop high quality skills in our participants that will be beneficial in other parts of their lives. This project has contributed to raising school standards in numeracy and literacy and has offered volunteering and training opportunities that will develop knowledge and understanding in the heritage of the local area, creating transferable skills to use in future employment such as confidence in applying and interviewing for jobs; researching and communication.
With such a large population of young people and diverse cultures in Newham we addressed the need for inter-generational work to build greater understanding and respect between generations, through discussions and workshops where people could learn about each other’s history and heritage. It allowed older generations to explore their memories with the young people of Newham.
Outcomes:
- This project has involve over 800 children and young people directly in learning about the local history and Heritage. There were 25 schools, youth groups and colleges involved although we expect many others will continue to use the resources independently
- There have been over 50 of our staff, those from schools, Youth Centres and Colleges, involved in events and tours. 10 volunteers gained an accreditation Mentoring award
- (level2-3) QCF and others work experience with East Community Heritage.
- We have so far shared our exhibition in 10 venues including libraries, schools and inside the London Stadium itself as part of the official West Ham United F.C. Tour. We expect over 3000 users of the App. Oral history skills have been developed in 240 children, including recording and interviewing skills. 30 oral histories interviews were recorded, transcribed and archived. We hope that this project will inspire teachers and schools as to how to access local archives and how to interact with them.
Our partners have included:
- Eastside Community Heritage
- Audio Trails
- Newham Adult Learning Service
- Newham Adult Care
- Newham Heritage Services
- Newham Schools, Colleges and Youth Service
- WHU FC Community Sports Trust
- WHUFC fans – Any Old Irons
- The London Legacy Development Corporation
- Friends of the Elderly
- Docklands London Museum
- SS Robin Visitor Centre