A significant new exhibition is set to open at Leicester Museum, offering a profound exploration of the city's diverse community through the voices of its residents. The display will present key themes and insights gathered from 103 in-depth interviews conducted as part of the Living Together oral history project.
Documenting Leicester's Community Spirit
This ambitious initiative has been led by St Philip's Centre and generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project engaged with a wide cross-section of people who currently call Leicester home, representing a rich tapestry of backgrounds and experiences.
A Diverse Range of Perspectives
The interview participants reflect Leicester's remarkable diversity: approximately one third were originally from outside the United Kingdom, another third hailed from other parts of the UK but not Leicester itself, and the final third were native Leicester residents. This balanced representation ensures the exhibition captures multiple perspectives on life in the city.
Key Themes and Discoveries
The interviews revealed several compelling themes that will form the core of the exhibition. Participants shared their thoughts on whether they feel free to be themselves in Leicester, how the city celebrates its diversity, and the various barriers and challenges people encounter in their daily lives.
Other significant topics explored include:
- Lived experiences of religion and belief
- Observations about changes within the city over time
- Unique experiences that could only have happened in Leicester
Exhibition Details and Interactive Elements
The exhibition will be hosted in Leicester Museum's People's Gallery from February 7th, running continuously until May 2026. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the material through multiple interactive elements.
Exhibition features include:
- Audio clips from the original interview recordings
- Displayed quotes and stories from participants
- Interactive spaces for visitors to share their own thoughts about contemporary life in Leicester
Preserving Community Experiences
Tom Wilson, director of St Philip's Centre, commented on the project's significance: "Leicester is well-known for its harmony and ability of many communities to live well together. This project has documented and preserved the experiences that lie behind the cohesion and community spirit of the city by recording the memories of one hundred and three people who have made their home in Leicester."
Wilson continued: "We gave people who live and work in the city the opportunity to record their experience of living within the rich variety of cultures and experiences found within Leicester. The exhibition showcases some of our findings about how we live together."
The Living Together project represents an important archival effort to capture the authentic voices and experiences that contribute to Leicester's celebrated community cohesion. By preserving these personal narratives, the exhibition creates a valuable resource for understanding the city's social fabric and how diverse communities navigate shared urban spaces.
