Newhaven Parker Pen project will celebrate working class heritage

The factory had 1,200 employees at one point

An East Sussex project is being given funds by Historic England to "celebrate working class heritage".

Press Play Films is creating Parker Pens: The Working Class Oral Histories of Newhaven Town with the funding.

The community interest company will bring together generations to record oral histories and create short clay stop-motion animations to present the Parker Pen factory's history.

It is one of 56 projects Historic England is funding across the country.

The Parker Pen factory originally had 1,200 employees, but after gradual scaling down it closed in 2010 and was demolished in 2014.

The factory was demolished in 2014

The project aims to encourage intergenerational understanding of Newhaven's community heritage and industrial past.

The project will involve ex-Parker employees, local primary and secondary school students, Newhaven Museum volunteers, and Hillcrest Community Centre.

Historic England, which plans to award a combined £875,000 of funding nationally, said its Everyday Heritage grant programme aimed to "shine a light on the diversity of our heritage".

Chief executive Duncan Wilson said: "Every community has a story to tell and we want to hear them.

"This is the strength of our Everyday Heritage grant programme, which funds projects that are community-led and really engage with local people by empowering them to research and tell their own stories."

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