In March 2020 the nation went into lockdown, which meant being creative in the way we reached out to our community.
A big challenge for Portland Works was changing our Heritage Lectures from face-to-face talks held in our volunteer-created Maker Space to an online format. The first lecture to be held online via Zoom was on 19th August 2020 and we quickly began to understand the challenges and advantages.
Since then, hosting the last four lectures online meant a greater number of people were able to attend, more than the 55 guests that could fit into the Maker Space. As well as this, people were not limited by location in order to attend, meaning not just those from Sheffield but anyone in the country could join in. This has led to over 80 people logging on to watch the lectures that local historians provide.
From this, we have learnt that in the post-COVID world that we all are longing for, the online heritage lectures will remain a part of Portland Works alongside the usual face-to-face events.
“I have been both heartened and amazed that so many members of the public have taken an interest and attended our Heritage Lectures online, said Stella Howe, outreach and education offer at Portland Works. “For me just seeing so many people together, even on screen, both learning and enjoying themselves is really worthwhile.”
We have six more events already planned and we look forward to yet again seeing so many people joining us and enjoying learning about the fascinating history of our city.
The best way to find out about upcoming events is to follow the Portland Works Facebook page, but you can also keep an eye on our events listings and EventBrite calendar for details as they’re announced.