Wolverhampton’s healthcare history shaped by local voices
Date of release: 4 March 2024
Residents were taken back to 1849 during a highly anticipated spoken word performance through the Care, Create, Conserve project, led by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s (RWT) Charity - Arts and Heritage Group.
Emma Purshouse (left) and Sophina Jagot
The performance took people through a historical journey of healthcare, exploring themes of gender role stereotyping, facilities and access to healthcare, based on their perspectives.
The event, at the Mander Health Hub, was led by poets Sophina Jagot and Emma Purshouse who shared a potted history of the Royal Hospital followed by a unique soundscape performance collated through listening activities during residency sessions within the health hub.
The poets took inspiration from current and former NHS staff, local historians and residents’ memories and experiences of healthcare throughout the years to craft their unique performance.
Sophina said: “It’s been fantastic to talk to so many people and these lived experiences are reflected within our work.”
“We’ve had a blast uncovering Wolverhampton’s healthcare history and each individual perspective has shaped our performance. People have been excited to talk about their memories and share their thoughts – it’s been a real pleasure to piece this together,” Emma added.
In the audience was Helen Trainer, Healthy Age Co-ordinator, who has worked for the NHS since 1976. Soon to join the Arts and Heritage Team as a Volunteer, she said: “It’s an interesting and engaging way to capture and showcase the healthcare history of Wolverhampton, representing a variety of experiences and memories. I am looking forward to my role as a volunteer throughout the remainder of the programme.”
Frances Land, Co-Artistic Director from Black Country Touring, collaborators of the programme, praised the poets for creating two inspiring pieces. She said: “I am so pleased to see the final performance after much development through capturing stories, thoughts, and experiences through listening and engagement exercises. The performances really capture the essence of healthcare history in Wolverhampton in such a fun and accessible way.”
Alex Vann, who lives locally, said: “It’s an ingenious idea to show healthcare history through the voices of local people. I particularly enjoyed reflecting on the archive of photographs - they complement the words, and the combination of sound and visuals helped shape a meaningful representation of history.”
Following the performance, attendees saw a sneak peek of a wider collection of healthcare heritage items that will soon form part of a fascinating exhibition in a new Healthcare Heritage Centre and co-creation space, coming soon.
This project has been made possible thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-Ordinator at RWT Charity, said: “Thank you to all of our communities which contributed to the showcase event – their input was invaluable and really helped us to paint a picture of healthcare in years gone by.
“Sophina and Emma brought people’s experiences and memories to life so vividly for us and I’m sure their interpretation will have enthused the audience and left them keen to find out more. This is just the start of an exciting programme of events within the Care, Create, Conserve project so watch this space!”.
The full video will be made available to view in the near future.
