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New site IWorkedAtRaleigh.com has been launched, compiling photos, films and audio interviews of Raleigh workers’ stories through the ages.
The brand recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, so there’s potentially quite a few years worth of material out there. It was the plan of local community theatre company Hanby and Barrett to draw it all together, via a collaboration with the University of Nottingham.
Writer Andy Barrett explained: “We really wanted to tell the story of this iconic Nottingham factory from the people who worked there; from across the ages and across the many, many departments. And of course, the best way to do that is to go and meet the workers, to have a cup of tea and to chat. People have a real attachment to the factory which came across in the stories that they told.”
As well as the website, a smartphone and tablet app will be available. Producer Julian Hanby said: “The thing that makes the app unique is that you can see where the factories were compared to a current map, and you can see what went on in the different areas of the factory. Then you can listen to former workers telling what it was like to work in that specific bit of the factory, and look at pictures. It’s a way to access the information on the website based on where you are, rather than by topic. And if you are on the site a marker shows where you are.”
Raleigh MD Mark Gouldthor said: "We take great pride in our Nottingham heritage and we are honoured that so many people want to share their stories and talk about their time with the company. This is an important social history resource celebrating one of the many great things about Nottingham. We hope that today’s Raleigh staff continue to add their stories to this fantastic resource long into the future."
