By George Bedford
In this blog post, George Bedford shares his experience of the three-month My Jewellery, My Story (MJMS) Placement which was an exciting project that explored local people’s connection to jewellery, having been inspired by a beautiful Bronze Age necklace discovered in the small village of Cossington in Leicestershire.
The MJMS Placement was the second placement that the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) research-policy impact project run during the academic year 2024-2025.
The students who participated in the MJMS Placement were part of a wide range of communities and groups that the Culture Leicestershire (CuL) team at Leicestershire County Council supports through outreach work on and around unique shared heritage and culture.
MJMS was part of CuL’s audience development work at Charnwood Museum and as such, CuL was very keen for students' voices to be represented through the creation of 2-minute digital stories that were eventually featured in the project’s exhibition.
In addition to offering students distinctive professional development competencies and skills coveted by graduate job employers, the MJMS Placement also equipped students with first-hand experience of working on an exciting and real-world project at the intersection of the heritage sector, the digital media industries, and local government context.
George Bedford is currently pursuing a part-time Masters degree in History in the School of Humanities.
- Hello. My name is George and I am currently a part-time Masters Student, studying History here at the University of Nottingham.
- Having started here in September 2024, I originally graduated from the University of Winchester with a BA in Medieval History.
- I focus on Late Medieval Political History and the Nobility within the British Isle, with my dissertation being on Henry Percy, First Earl of Northumberland.
- When I’m not at University or indulging my passion for medieval history, I volunteer at my local Royal Air Force Air Cadet Squadron.
- I’ve also spent the past two summers working at a co-ed summer camp in the USA.
- I love all things history and am absolutely thrilled to be part of the My Jewellery, My Story Project.
My Jewellery, My Story is Culture Leicestershire’s most recent project, that encourages community engagement and storytelling in connection with the Cossington Necklace.
Now my own story of involvement with the project begins on Platform Four at Kettering Railway Station, one damp grey morning at about nine.
Now while I am aware this, along with the argument I had with the gentleman sitting in my seat on the 09:34 service to Nottingham might sound interesting: these events are tangential to my overall involvement with the project.
So instead we shall jump forward to the 13 February, when myself and the other students involved with the project: as part of a placement, were invited to the launch and opening of the My Jewellery, My Story exhibition at the Charnwood Museum in Loughborough.
Situated in the old public baths, the museum tells the local history of Charnwood and Loughborough from the Bronze Age through to the modern day. The centrepiece of both the museum and this project is the Cossington Necklace.
Comprised of thirteen beads, from across England and Europe, the Necklace was originally found during a 1999 archaeological dig in a quarry near Cossington.
MJMS Placement students. From left to right: Dhanya Rao (MA International Media and Communications Studies), Elodie Edwards (First Year, BA Classics and English), Hannah Kane (Finalist, BA Biblical Studies and Theology), and myself (Part-time MA History). In the centre background is Helen Sharp (Curator, Archaeology, Leicestershire Museum Collections).
Myself and the other students had joined the project as part of a placement offered by the University of Nottingham which started in December 2024, with an online Teams call.
It was on this call amongst the usual technical tribulations of “we can’t hear you” and “you’re on mute,” that we were introduced first to the Cossington Necklace and then to the art of Digital Storytelling.
As the name suggests, Digital Storytelling is the usage of images, audio, text and video to tell a story and share experiences.
Which was where us; the placement students, came into the project as we were each tasked to find a piece of jewellery that told a story similar to how the Cossington Necklace tells a story of the Bronze Age.
Through a discussion we each identified an item of jewellery that was important to us with a story we wanted to share.
From bracelets that symbolised christenings, earrings that represented parting families or rings that symbolised the lives and stories of grandparents.
MJMS Placement students inspecting a selection of objects from Leicestershire Museum Collections. In the centre of the image is Helen Sharp (Curator, Archaeology) explaining the features and histories of the selected objects. Observing and listening intently at the far left of the image is Caroline Lockwood (Collections and Conservation Manager).
With that we adjourned our first meeting, and set about working independently to create scripts and begin working our videos.
Some of us trawled through old family photos, some provoked conversations and memories, others got friends to re-enact the moments represented by jewellery, one may have just delegated the task to a parent.
Whatever the case, when we met on Teams again at the start of February, we started to share these stories we had created.
From leaving home, to monumental moments in life or memories of those who have died, these digital stories were works of passion.
With the feedback we received, we set about administering the final touches to our videos before we all assembled on the 13 February.
And so the day dawned as on the 13 February, we made our way by train or by car to the Charnwood Museum. It was an interesting day, as this was the first time we had all met face to face – although this did lead to the member of staff mistaking me for being a member of the public.
Nonetheless, it was there amongst local dignitaries and community groups that were involved with the project that we witnessed the grand opening of the My Jewellery, My Story Exhibition accompanied by plenty of cake.
Amanda Hanton (Cultural Participation Team Manager, Culture Leicestershire) and a local Charnwood dignitary formally launch the MJMS Exhibition.
An image capturing part of the exhibition immediately following the formal launch.
Following a look round the exhibition, we were lucky enough to be invited to partake in a Q&A Panel made up with Culture Leicestershire Staff that represented Community Outreach, Access and Interpretations, Curation, Collections and Conservation.
We discussed many things during the panel from career paths and entry into the heritage sector, to the role of technology and the complexities of engaging a varied audience.
It was an insightful conversation that provided a great perspective on the heritage sector. We finished off the day, by finalising our videos before we hosted a premier of them accompanied with popcorn, cake, hot drinks and crucially orange juice.
Caroline Lockwood fielding questions during the Q&A session.
Hannah Kane introducing her digital story during the 'premier' session.
One by one the masterpieces were introduced, and the personal stories were displayed upon the big screen. As the premier brought to a close the MJMS Placement, over the past couple of months we had learnt so much, we had gained an insight into the heritage sector, the technique of Digital Storytelling, and the developing role of technology in the sector. It was a great placement and we were all fortunate to have had such an opportunity.