Project will celebrate Warrington’s wire heritage

PEOPLE who worked in Warrington’s historic wire industry will get a chance to share their memories and tell their stories through a new six month project celebrating the borough’s wire heritage.
The borough council has won a £45,300 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £45,300 towards the cost of the project.
Starting now, “The Wire Factory” project will run until September and will celebrate the legacy left by the wire industry, which dominated Warrington’s employment structure for more than 100 years in the 18th and 19th centuries, putting the town at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution.
Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund – and money raised by National Lottery players – the culture and heritage project will give local people new opportunities to tell their stories, and raise awareness of the significance of this industry to Warrington’s identity.
It will focus on engaging people who worked in the wire factories and their families, to share and celebrate their stories. Local dementia support groups, schools and colleges will also be involved.
Local creative practitioners will be supporting community members to re-explore the past, and present their stories in engaging, contemporary ways.
A special exhibition in the town centre will be held during the Heritage Open Weekends in September, but there will be many opportunities to get involved before then.
The borough council’s cabinet member responsible for culture, Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, said: “It’s great news that we’ve been successful in securing National Lottery funding to deliver this important project. Many local residents are unaware of our wire heritage and it’s one of Warrington’s stories that could be in danger of being lost.
“This is a really interesting project to help tell that story.  Like many Warrington residents – especially those who didn’t grow up here – I have little knowledge of this part of our past, and I’m looking forward to finding out more and celebrating our huge achievements in this area.
“This part of our heritage still resonates in our town today – from Warrington Wolves being known as The Wire, to Wire FM and even our new Time Square car park, which reflects the wire design so unique to Warrington. Through this project, we want to collect some of the fascinating stories of our past and represent them in different ways, be it through artwork, sculptures or new technologies.
“The Wire Factory aims to engage a range of new audiences in Warrington’s heritage, sparking renewed interest in our industrial past amongst communities throughout the borough, and beyond.”
The full programme for “The Wire Factory” is currently being developed, and further details will be released in the near future.