<\/p>\n
The Museum of English Rural Life<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>MERL<\/span>)<\/span>\u00a0has received\u00a0<\/span>funding<\/span>\u00a0from the\u00a0<\/span>BFI\u00a0<\/span>to make a remarkable archive of agricultural films accessible to wider audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n The<\/span>\u00a0\u00a380<\/span>,000<\/span>\u00a0grant from the\u00a0<\/span>BFI\u00a0<\/span>Screen Heritage Fund<\/span>, awarding National Lottery funding,<\/span>\u00a0will enable\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>MERL\u00a0<\/span>to digitise and catalogue a significant collection of historic agricultural films assembled by Nottinghamshire farmer Richard Watts.<\/span><\/p>\n For around 30 years from 1981, Watts embarked on an extraordinary labour of love to trace and preserve films of all gauges \u2013 amateur and professional \u2013 relating to the development of agriculture and allied industries in the UK. Inspired by the demise of 16mm film as video began to take over, he assembled a collection of well over 1,000 titles dating back to 1908.<\/span><\/p>\n The collection includes films from organisations such as the Milk Marketing Board, Massey\u00a0<\/span>Ferguson<\/span>\u00a0and Potato Marketing Board, as well as amateur films documenting everyday work across rural Britain. After Watts’s death<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he MERL rescued the\u00a0<\/span>collection<\/span>\u00a0but it has\u00a0<\/span>remained\u00a0<\/span>largely inaccessible<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Engaging wider audiences<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The BFI funding, part of the project\u00a0<\/span>‘Inclusive approaches to accessing rural archive film’<\/span>, will enable\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he MERL to assess the collection and\u00a0<\/span>identify<\/span>\u00a080-100 films for digitisation and cataloguing. This will make the films accessible to researchers and allow for engagement activities with a\u00a0<\/span>wide\u00a0<\/span>range of audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Caroline Gould, Principal Archivist at\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0MERL, said: “Richard Watts’ collection is a treasure trove of agricultural and rural history. These films capture a way of life that has disappeared and offer invaluable insights into the development of British farming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The<\/span>\u00a0funding\u00a0<\/span>from the\u00a0<\/span>BFI\u00a0<\/span>will allow us to preserve these films digitally<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0mak<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0them\u00a0<\/span>more\u00a0<\/span>accessible to researchers and the\u00a0<\/span>wider\u00a0<\/span>public<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The project will particularly focus on engaging underrepresented and marginalised audiences who typically experience the greatest barriers to accessing heritage. Working in partnership with Reading-based film company Real Time,\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>project<\/span>\u00a0will develop<\/span>\u00a0further<\/span>\u00a0knowledge and understanding of barriers to accessing films\u00a0<\/span>and archive footage,\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>s well as\u00a0<\/span>identify<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0technologies that improve the<\/span>ir<\/span>\u00a0presentation<\/span>\u00a0for wider audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Clive Robertson, Creative Director at Real Time, said: \u201cThis project presents a fantastic opportunity to involve the community in preserving and widening understanding of our shared heritage, and exploring the many social, ethnical and environmental changes that resonate with us today.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Marta Berto, Screen Heritage Fund Manager at the BFI said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Connecting with heritage fosters belonging, builds resilience and contributes to wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span>We\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0excited to see how\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>MERL will use its diverse and surprising collection to explore how the skills and experiences of farmers and craftspeople, past and present, can help shape our lives now and into the future, reminding us of the ongoing relevance of the countryside to our lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Engagement activities will include working with focus groups and volunteers,\u00a0<\/span>establishing<\/span>\u00a0a film skills collective for 10 participants, creating gallery versions of 10 films, producing five accessible films tailored for different audiences, and hosting six community screenings in rural locations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>About the BFI<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK\u2019s lead\u00a0<\/span>organisation<\/span>\u00a0for film and the moving image. Our mission is:<\/span><\/p>\n