The Big History Weekend took place this weekend in Liverpool, helping visitors to discover more about the city’s rich cultural past.
The two-day event took place at St George’s Hall, and explored Liverpool’s history from the origins of West Derby to the creation of the Williamson Tunnels through a wide array of exhibitions, guest speakers and a question time panel, chaired by journalist and BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster, Roger Phillips.
Event manager Zoe Rubert told JMU Journalism: “The main aim of this event is to show off the history of the city and to engage the local communities to learn about their heritage and get involved in some of the societies on offer.”
The event saw local people set up tables which offered a range of information on different elements of Liverpool’s history and culture, such as the regeneration of Kirkdale and stalls which sold many books about Merseyside’s past.
Jean Emmerson, who is the managing director of Birkenhead Press Ltd, has had a stall at the event for several years and told JMU Journalism: “This event is very important. People are visiting one of the city’s main attractions and when they see this going on they are obviously come in and look around.”
There were also guest speakers on both days, including freelance journalist and broadcaster, Stephen Guy, historian Ken Pye and BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Frankie Connor, who gave talks on various matters and issues.
Mr Guy, who gave a talk on ‘West Derby, Then and Now’ highlighted the importance of events like the Big History Weekend. He told JMU Journalism: “Events like this spread awareness. If people are more aware of historical monuments and that they are under threat, then they can report it to local authorities, such as the local council.”
Ken Pye, who spoke about ‘Liverpool: the rise, fall and renaissance of a world class city’, said: “This should be the key event, not just for Liverpool but also the wider areas.”
“It is important to celebrate what and who we are. We need to celebrate today’s events which will become tomorrow’s heritage.”
Additional reporting by Adam Jones