The idea
The story so far...
Over the last 18 months, thousands of people have supported and enjoyed Lancashire Archives & Local History's Clarets Collected project,
A wonderful collection of material (over 5000 items) relating to the history of Burnley Football Club - programmes, photographs, scrapbooks and much more - has been brought together at Burnley Library. Donated by supporters of the club, their generosity has made possible some wonderful work with the local community:
10 volunteers have spent nearly 900 hours working on the collection
3 exhibitions, pre-match family drop in sessions, talks and other events have attracted over 2000 visitors
nearly 500 local primary school children have enjoyed a wonderful (FREE) day: AM: explore the club's rich past at the library PM: tour of Turf Moor
The current funding runs out in Sept 2025 but that's too soon. It's been so successful we want the project to continue so that more of great ideas it has generated have a chance to shine.
What we'll deliver
- A part-time project officer, working two days a week for two years 2025-27
- 15 volunteer opportunities - young people will learn new skills as part of an exciting oral history project.
- 3 exhibitions, including "One of our Own" which will look at Burnley-born Clarets players
- 24 FREE sessions for local primary schools
- pre-match drop in sessions at Burnley Library before home games and other events
- an end of project celebration to coincide with Burnley Year of Culture 2027
Why it's a great idea
A publicly accessible Burnley FC heritage collection, for fans past and present, at the heart of the town, PLUS a new project officer, will mean not only more events and exhibitions at Burnley Library, but...
Hundreds of local school children in Burnley exploring the history of BFC club and the town's history and culture more generally. Feedback from Briercliffe Primary School:
"The feedback from both classes was amazing… the activities and the exhibitions were great, and Turf Moor was a bonus. It also introduced some of our children to the library and what it offers for the first time"
Volunteering opportunities that provide people with new skills and a chance to meet new people, socialise and feel good about doing something worthwhile. Feedback from one of our current volunteers shows how powerful this can be:
"Clarets Collected really helped me to join in my local community again upon losing all my confidence after the sad death of my wife"
Steps to get it done
- Oct 2025 - new recruitment officer in post
- Jan 2026 - 10 young people start volunteering - oral history project begins
- Apr - final school session delivered (of 12 for season 25-26)
- May 2026 - exhibition 1 open - theme to be decided through community consultation
- Nov 2026 - exhibition 2 open - theme to be decided through community consultation
- Feb 2027 - oral history concludes - interviews publicly available
- April 2027 - "One of our own" exhibition opens as part of Burnley Year of Culture
- Apr 2027 - final school session delivered (of 12 for season 26-27)
- Sep 2027 - project concludes
The Clarets Collected project is delivered by Lancashire Archives and Local History, a Lancashire County Council service. Friends of Lancashire Archives (a registered charity) raises money so that projects can go ahead that would not normally be possible. It's a great partnership and we expect the projects we fund to involve a range of other partners working together to give great value for money. So far, Clarets Collected has worked with:
Burnley Football Club in the Community
National Football Museum
Burnley Civic Trust
Former Burnley FC board members
The Burnley Library team
Burnley Borough Council
Phase two of the project will enable these relationships to grow further and maximise the value of our funding. They will help broaden the scope of the project to include Burnley's history and heritage generally and introduce people to what is on offer at Burnley Library for for the whole community.
