Lottery grant boost for BOCM history grant
A society of history enthusiasts from Hemingbrough are celebrating after it was announced that it is to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to help share the story of one of the areas most prominent factories.
Selby
This exciting project, being put together by Parish of Hemingbrough Historical/Heritage Society (PHHHS), is called Animal Feed to Gun Oil and will present the story of BOCM in Selby and the lives of the people who worked there.
Following the award of £9,000 towards the project, the extra funds will help the team research the site, record its history as well as to locate and compile archives.
The money has been made available by a new funding programme called Sharing Heritage. The scheme was set up to help people across the country explore, conserve and share all aspects of the history and character of their local area.
PHHHS was set up to preserve and record the History of the Ancient Parish of Hemingbrough. BOCM's new owners, ForFarmers, has granted the group access to archive material, records and photographs relating to the factory.
It is feared that many of the articles it has been given access to could be at risk of being lost to the local community, once the material is transferred from Selby following possession of the land and company assets by new owners.
The group intends intention to produce and publish a book that will detail the history of BOCM and include photographs and reproductions of relevant documents, with the new owners consent. The results will be printed in book form, published on-line and be the subject of talks and presentations to local schools and other organisations.
Commenting on the award Robert Procter said: “We are delighted to be able to undertake this project which will be of interest to many residents of the Ancient Parish of Hemingbrough and beyond. We are ‘Working with the Community, for the Community’. This project will include not only those who worked at BOCM and their families but the school children of today who will be involved in conducting interviews and creating an historic record for future generations as well as other local volunteers and historians.”