Shrewsbury venue seeks help in celebrating its legacy
A Shrewsbury venue has launched a project collating and celebrating the history of its town centre home, and is appealing for photos, anecdotes and information.
The Hive at 5 Belmont is a charity organisation running wellbeing projects across the county and also offering a venue for creative activities such as gigs, films and art exhibitions.
Many older Salopians will remember the building from its days as the Shrewsbury Youth Centre and later the Belmont Arts Centre, and Shropshire Youth Arts Network (ShYAN).
But The Hive has no archives spanning the earlier periods and wants to delve into its legacy of playing a part in the lives of young people in and around the town over the decades in a "Cultural Investigators" project which will culminate in an exhibition next year.
Vicki Duckett-Snape of The Hive said: "We want to hear from anyone who has had any connection with our building.
"We have a fragmented understanding about the groups of people accessing the venue pre-1980s. We're looking for anyone who can help us fill in the gaps by sharing stories or anecdotes which will help our current participants connect their own experience to the legacy that 5 Belmont has provided to young people since we opened our doors.
"Their story doesn't need to be pre-1980s – we are happy to hear from anyone who wants to share their memories of their time here.
"We are open to receiving photos or stories from people that will feature in a specially curated exhibition in late summer 2024 to celebrate the history of The Hive. For further information emails can be directed to projects@hiveonline.org.uk
"The Hive has been at 5 Belmont since 2008, but we were Belmont Arts Centre before that."
