1920’s Sheffield: Turbulence, Toil & Terror

To accompany our application to the Radcliffe Trust (deadline 31st July 2025), please find below (and linked here as a PDF) full aims, objectives and outcomes for our project: 1920’s Sheffield: Turbulence, Toil & Terror.

1920’s Sheffield: Turbulence, Toil & Terror aims to:

  • Support the creative and professional development of emerging and underrepresented young writers through workshops, talks, micro-commissions and mentoring, enabling engagement with historical and place-based research, while strengthening writing, editing and storytelling skills across chosen writing forms, from fiction to poetry
  • Bring alive Sheffield’s lesser-known 1920s history through powerful micro-commissioned new writing exploring key social and political themes including class struggle, migration, gender roles and gang culture
  • Engage new and diverse young people in participation and discussion, particularly for those with limited access to heritage or arts activities, through school visits, workshops and guided walks that make historical learning interactive, creative, fun and relevant
  • Deepen public engagement through compelling retellings and creative reimaginings, sparking cross-generational dialogue on the legacy and relevance of 1920s Sheffield, drawing parallels with contemporary issues such as inequality, crime and social unrest, encouraging participants and audiences to view local history as alive, complex and worth exploring
  • Produce a diverse, high-quality body of work that brings together the project’s creative and historical discoveries in a professionally produced anthology, contributing to the region’s cultural archive and celebrated through a live showcase launch at Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2026 and via other regional event opportunities

Project objectives, steps & activities:

  • Scope out the project shape and theme areas drawing on collected research and liaising with writers, historians and local studies library support
  • Deliver a series of creative and historical engagement writing workshops and talks, both Hive network focused and in partnership with schools and/or relevant community groups
  • Support emerging writers to undertake and research chosen micro-commissioned pieces of new response writing, with guidance from professional writers and historians
  • Throughout the project, champion inclusive, cross-sector collaboration in heritage and the arts bringing together Hive young emerging writers, historians, local studies libraries, and heritage organisations through planning, delivery and public events
  • Produce a substantial, high-quality print anthology and contribution to the cultural and historical archive, to be distributed to libraries, heritage projects, educational bodies and independent bookshops
  • Launch the resulting print anthology in a special celebratory event at Off the Shelf Festival, offering live readings, discussion and a joined-up, accessible approach to cultural and heritage engagement
  • Evaluate the project against the aims for future projects, offering to disseminate information of best practice, insights and strength of outcomes to date with relevant partners

Key results/outcomes:
1920’s Sheffield: Turbulence, Toil & Terror will have:

  • Supported the creative development of up to 40 emerging writers (aged 17 to 30 from Sheffield and nearby South Yorkshire) with focused micro-commissions, workshops, talks, historian input and editorial feedback, enabling them to explore new skills in place and fact-based storytelling and engage deeply with local history through research and collaboration
  • Delivered creative writing workshops and facilitated discussion with 100+ young people via schools outreach exploring Sheffield’s 1920s heritage and its resonance today, giving them a taste of the work being produced by Hive’s emerging writers and offering space for their own creative responses to be heard and shared
  • Broken down barriers to accessing heritage and arts opportunities through free, inclusive activities (including online/Zoom engagement), resources (anthology, events & podcast) and partnerships with local libraries, schools and community groups, prioritising access for underrepresented young people
  • Connected emerging writers with professional and alumni Hive writers through a collaborative process of mentoring, editorial input, and joint workshops, fostering new talent pipelines and widening access to the creative industries. We’ll also be sending copies of the anthology to key regional publishers to highlight the next generation of writers in the north
  • Produced a professionally designed and edited anthology of new creative writing with historical insights (est. 300 copies) and distributed it regionally through libraries, schools, cultural partners, publishers and independent bookshops, spotlighting emerging literary talent, amplifying diverse perspectives and contributing to Sheffield’s cultural legacy and heritage knowledge
  • Engaged new and diverse audiences (live/print/online) through public showcases, digital promotion, a podcast and a high-profile launch at Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2026, ensuring a wide regional and intergenerational reach
  • Brought lesser-known local and regional histories to life through the power of creative retelling – inspiring fresh perspectives, emotional connection, and meaningful conversations about identity, place, and how our past continues to shape our present