A social enterprise specialising in South Asian history runs collaborative events for the festival that engage new audiences. Working with a local library in their first year they expanded plans for 2026 by collaborating with the Royal Armouries in Leeds, creating a joyfully inclusive day of activities sharing unsung stories.

The national hub for all things conservation has been working with us since 2022 - encouraging their members to open studios and run pop up sessions to engage more people with the work of conservators. In 2026 they ran their own national event for the first time, utilising our platform to test new ideas and work in partnership to broaden their reach.

Hidden histories of a thriving city - from its first recorded African resident, to 19th century transgender performers and an Edwardian war hero. These unsung stories were brought into the light for a guided walk over the festival, but as we can’t all take the tour, local historian Danny has shared a taster of them for us here.