The St George's, University of London Museum and Archives was awarded funding for a community engagement project from AIM as part of their New Stories New Audiences Grant supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2023.
The Museum and Archives connected with local community groups to share the stories of deadly diseases from the past and explore how they are relevant to the lives of people today. The project raised awareness of the rich heritage of St George’s and how the patient experience over the last 200 years has changed with the development of antiseptic techniques, anaesthetics, and antibiotics.
Creative workshops, co-hosted with local artists Meet and Make, initiated conversations on broad themes around the history of our place in Tooting, the language used to describe the people in the historical records, how medical treatment has progressed over the last 200 year, the continuing lack of equality in medicine and reflections on our own health and well-being.
Through this project new stories of significance can be shared through the accompanying online exhibition and through a film documenting the project.