Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills is committed to a community programme that provides the public with a number of ways to engage with the museum and its collections. This is a new venture that we are starting with a small number of projects aimed at making our museum more accessible, improving what we can offer to the public and bringing the people of Leeds and their stories into the heart of our museum.
Volunteering in the community garden
Inspired by community food growing projects, we have set up our own volunteer-run garden at Leeds Industrial Museum. Working with community group 'Hyde Park Source' we are reinventing our colour garden (which involves growing plants used in the textiles dyeing process) and creating a container garden for edible food growing. If you are interested in gardening, food growing or dyeing, please get in touch. Everyone is welcome, regardless of age, experience or ability.
Tell your story - Leeds stories
Here at Leeds Industrial Museum we are constantly working to improve and update our exhibitions. As part of this process we are interested in hearing and recording stories and recollections relating to Leeds’ industries. These stories may become a part of our museum’s collections or be made available to the public on our galleries. We are particularly interested in stories about Leeds’ tailoring industry, as we are hoping to create a new tailoring gallery soon. We aim to represent local people and allow them to articulate their own experiences. We also wish to document and promote stories and experiences that illustrate the rich diversity of our local communities. Did you work at Kirkstall Forge or Burtons? Do you remember when Leeds was a major manufacturing town? Do you know where Lantern Lane was? Everyone has a story. Please get in touch and tell us yours.
MillSpace community gallery – my mill, my space, my millspace
The MillSpace is a community gallery situated within Leeds Industrial Museum. The purpose of this gallery is to encourage people to take ownership of and participate in their museum, to encourage creativity and to provide a space for people to express themselves and tell their stories. The space is open to groups, organisations, clubs, families and anyone else who wishes to use it for community purposes that are engaging, inclusive and appropriate for a museum setting. This could be for a group meeting or event, an area for staging activities or displaying an exhibition. Whether you need a space for your book club gatherings, are a member of a local history group that wishes to display its work, or are a group of students wanting to curate your own exhibition. Our offer is open to all community groups regardless of age, background or ability.
If you are interested in getting involved in any of these initiatives, please complete the contact form below and our community history curator will then get in touch.
