Great Western Society

Project: Didcot’s Living History

This project is to enable low-income families, the displaced Afghan community and other refugee communities, to come together and engage with history during four event days at Didcot Railway Centre.

“At the first event, a Teddy Bears’ Picnic that took place during the first 3 months of the project, we welcomed over 90 people including a party of Afghan refugees.  We organised special food for the Afghan families, which was a great success and leftover food was shared with the wider Afghan community. Their support worker said “Amazing day, they all came home buzzing. The children had a wonderful time.”

GWS Spokesperson

 “Thank you so much for today. We had a great time at the railway centre. All the volunteers were so chatty and friendly. It was a great day and we were sad to leave. The archery was a big hit.”

Picnic attendee

 The princess and superhero theme at the second event was very popular too and one of the museum volunteers said “Young visitors to the museum enthusiastically filled in their quiz sheets, sometimes prompted by a little “You are getting warmer” hint. Their parents, usually the mother on her own, expressed considerable gratitude for the constructive entertainment that their children had enjoyed, as they exited the building,”

GWS Museum Volunteer