The Poetry of Wartime Evacuation project needs votes for funding

Gillian Mawson is seeking support to raise funds from the Aviva Community Fund towards the Poetry of Wartime Evacuation: Community Archive for Channel Island Evacuation project.

Here's a description of the project aims:

The Aviva funding awarded to us in 2015 has now expired. We wish to hold regular group meetings again, to create a booklet containing Wartime Poetry written by Evacuees, which can be given to local libraries and schools. Our group has been collecting these emotional poems since 2015. They have been written by evacuees from all over Britain and the Channel Islands. Each poem would be accompanied by a wartime image from our collection. The importance of such poetry has not, so far, been widely shared in the Stockport community. It includes themes such as Leaving Home, The evacuation journey, the air raids which occurred in their new 'supposedly safe' homes, Thoughts of Home, The Kindness of communities towards Evacuees, Thoughts of those fighting in the British Forces, Victory in Europe and the end of the war, The Return Home and the sadness of leaving behind their loving 'foster parents'

To complete this project before the end of 2018, we would need to hold regular project meetings in order to read through all of the poems that we have collected. We would need to agree on the final selection of poems for the booklet. We would then need to to select an appropriate evacuation image to accompany each poem and choose an image for the front cover. We would then write some introductory text for the booklet , including some information on our community group and our thanks to the Aviva Community Fund. We would end the booklet with a 'further reading' section for those who wish to learn more about wartime evacuation.

Once the final copy is ready, we would obtain quotes from local printers and have between 50 and 100 booklets printed, to be distributed to schools and libraries in the Stockport MBC area. Later, and health permitting at the time, our evacuees could visit some of these libraries to read evacuation poems and share their own memories in person. Until we actually complete the booklet, we are unable to ascertain exactly what the printing costs would be.

We anticipate that our costs would include:-
Venue hire for monthly meetings
Refreshments at these meetings
Travel costs for the evacuees to attend these meetings, most of whom have mobility issues

Photocopy costs relating to the poems that we already possess. The poems would need to be printed out, in large print, so that those with impaired vision can read them easily at our meetings.

Postage costs as we will need to contact evacuees to obtain their permission to use their poetry and images in our booklet.
Stationery costs
Printing costs
Postage costs to send the booklets to libraries and schools with a covering letter
Travel costs for evacuees to visit one or two local libraries to share personal evacuation stories and poetry

The award of the Aviva funding in 2015 really helped cement the members of our community group together. They have formed firm friendships with other members and their families. At least half of our members have failing health. An opportunity to come together more regularly and to work together on this project would continue this bonding process and would also give our elderly evacuees something to aim for over the next year or so.

To offer your votes in support of the project, please visit https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-423 and register to offer your votes.

Good luck Gillian!

Chris

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