Pestalozzi project wins lottery funds

The Pestalozzi International Village Trust, based in Sedlescombe, received 45,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help set up an archive, charting the organisation's 50-year history.

This week the project's leader Pam Thomas met up with Christopher Whittock and Anna Manthorpe from East Sussex Records Office to discuss the next move.

Since its founding in 1957 the Trust has been home to children and young people from displaced persons camps in Eastern Europe, refugees from Tibet, Vietnam, and Palestine.

In 1997 Pestalozzi International Village Trust changed its programme to fit in with the changing world, currently selecting young people from Africa and Asia.

To celebrate the trust's achievements, and the people it has helped, Pestalozzi will be creating a public archive containing the recordings, film, photographs and press cuttings it has collected over the years.

The community and former Pestalozzi alumni are invited to contribute stories, photos and Pestalozzi memories, which will be recorded by volunteers and added to existing archive material.

This will be professionally catalogued and digitised and housed at East Sussex Records Office and Screen Archive South-East, enabling public access.

When the project is completed next year an exhibition of the material and memories collected will be held at different locations, including Hastings Museum, Claverham Community College in Battle, and public libraries. A DVD will also be produced.

Paul Evans, chief executive, said: "We are thrilled by the news of this project, it will be a wonderful opportunity for us to help raise awareness of the Trust's work. We look forward to members of public visiting Pestalozzi Country Park Estate and viewing the exhibition once it is completed."

Stuart McLeod, head of HLF South East England, said: "The Trust has not only changed the life chances of thousands of young people from around the world, it has also created unforeseen opportunities for cultural exchange in this quiet corner of rural East Sussex. The project will allow this fascinating story to be shared with a much wider audience."

Debbie Martin, Pestalozzi's marketing officer, said: "We are very grateful to Pam who has put so much effort into organizing this project. If you have any memories of Pestalozzi or you wish to volunteer to help with this project then please contact Pam on [email protected]."