Gloucester History Festival

University of Gloucestershire History students are offered the opportunity to take an active part in the organisation and running of the annual Gloucester History Festival, the largest of its kind in the UK. In addition to the major festival weeks in the autumn and in spring, events now run throughout the year.

Our students are offered the opportunity to volunteer at the various festival events, as well as attend talks by famous guest speakers, which regularly include the likes of Janina Ramirez, Tom Holland, David Olusoga and Tracy Borman, among many others. This presents students with the opportunity to be actively engaged in events planning, publicity and marketing, as well as developing a range of skills to enhance their employment prospects.

Former History undergraduate, Jalaal, says that volunteering at the festival provided “an amazing opportunity to gain experience of working with various respected organisations in the arts, including the British Film Institute”.

Our students’ own project work is often put on display at festival events for public view. At one recent event, final-year student Ellie Speck gave a presentation about her award-winning ‘best dissertation’ project examining Gloucestershire’s Windrush Generation. Ellie reports that “Being able to discuss my local history project with individuals who were part of it was an enriching experience. The presentation resonated with people in the audience, and it prompted some inspiring discussion. This event widened my appreciation of the work of the Gloucestershire History Festival – I’ve seen how unifying it can be for a community to discuss memories of the past”.

The festival curator comes to UoG to speak to History students about what it is like to run such an event, working in the arts and culture sector, and what she needed to achieve in order to secure this prestigious position.