The project is a partnership between Action in Rural Sussex the East Sussex Record Office and University of Brighton, School of Architecture and Design.

The team trained children and young people in historical research skills including oral history, and to then supported them firstly in looking back 50 years into their community’s history. They have worked with older members of the community to gather their research around the changes that have taken place where they live – for example in population, shops and services, transport and employment. They then used this research to look 50 years into the future of their village and involve the whole community in making predictions about what it might be like to live there then, for better or worse. An interactive interface of the village (see my community) highlights the potential future proposals to tackle issues of resilience and sustainability; socially, economically and environmentally. Issues of isolation and loneliness are addressed through concepts ranging from new architecture, spaces and places to new communal economies that enable greater social cohesion and robustness.

The team used new technologies to create new visions of the community. Through computer aided design, movie making, drawings and animation 'virtual' realities were combined with the technology to combine audio and visual features to display collected documents, photos and oral histories to help to highlight the issues explored by the project.

The movie on the left shows some of the ideas pupils from the primary school had for existing buildings in the future.

By using 'ageing apps' the team were able to visualise young participants as they might be in 2061 which was all part of the process of enabling citizens to envision the future and what it might be, or should be like.

Click the four arrows shape in the bottom right corner of the image to enlarge.

Members of the Heathfield community reflect on living in Heathfield at a workshop focusing on the 'present day workshop'.

Firstly some girls from Heathfield Community College

and

Councillor Rupert Simmons, Chairman of East Sussex County Council, Heathfield Parish Council and Heathfield resident.