Wellingborough Stories

Wellingborough Stories was a community heritage project that captured untold stories from the town’s diverse communities, and presented them through artworks made with local people. Over 600 people shared their stories through interviews and creative workshops led by local people, with three artists commissioned to make new work for the project.

New artworks made by the community in workshops during March and April 2023 with our three commissioned artists, Ruth Pigott, Kremena Dimitrova and Makers of Imaginary Worlds were exhibited during the Wellingborough Stories Festival from 12th to 28th May 2023, alongside pre-2023 Wellingborough story projects, which are available online below.

Wellingborough Stories attracted 18,945 audiences with 961 people participating in the project and hundreds more viewing the artistic content online.

This project was made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

Wellingborough Stories film

Wellingborough Stories commissions

Kremena Dimitrova’s beautiful collages of local people’s artwork inspired by ‘home’ will remain on display in Wellingborough’s Swansgate Sopping Centre indefinitely. Makers of Imaginary Worlds created an innovative exhibition of interactive objects and Ruth Pigott’s puppetry film retellings of local people’s stories are still available online.

Festival events and activities

Alongside the new commissions and previous work, there were lots of events to get involved with, from crafting and storytelling to events created by local groups and artists in their communities.

Wellingborough Stories online

Find more Wellingborough Stories to delve into online – many of these were originally made during the pandemic lockdown so we exhibited them again during the festival to share the stories more widely.

Updated 25th August 2023