Your Story, Your Estate, Your Voice
This Community Heritage Project brings together long-standing and newer residents of Ponders End, with a special focus on the Alma Estate, at a time of significant change. Years of regeneration, mixed-tenure housing, and the lasting impact of Covid have reshaped how people live alongside one another, and in some cases, weakened everyday connections between neighbours. This project creates a welcoming space to reconnect, listen, and share.
Through creative storytelling workshops, a public exhibition, community celebrations, and a digital archive, residents of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences are invited to reflect on the past, share the present, and help shape how the estate’s story is remembered. By placing local voices at the centre, the project strengthens pride, belonging, and connection, ensuring the lived experiences of the Alma Estate are valued, preserved, and passed on as a shared legacy for future generations.
Creative Storytelling Workshops
Starting this spring, a series of free creative workshops will welcome residents of all ages and backgrounds to take part. No previous experience is needed, just curiosity and a willingness to share.
Workshops will offer relaxed, welcoming spaces where participants can:
Share personal memories, stories, and reflections
Explore photography, collage, writing, drawing, and conversation
Learn simple creative techniques to express their experiences
Connect with neighbours and discover shared histories
Participants can contribute as much or as little as they feel comfortable, with multiple ways to take part. The workshops are designed to be inclusive, supportive, and shaped by the interests of those attending.
Exhibition, Archive, Celebrate
Public Exhibition
The project will culminate in a public exhibition in Ponders End, showcasing a rich mix of:
Residents’ stories and creative work
Historic photographs and archival material
Reflections on change, regeneration, and everyday life on the estate
The exhibition will be free and open to the community, creating a shared space for reflection, conversation, and celebration. It will also include QR codes linking to the digital archive, allowing visitors to explore more stories and continue engaging beyond the physical exhibition.
Digital Archive
All collected stories, images, and materials will be preserved in an online digital heritage archive. The archive will:
Be publicly accessible via a web link and QR codes
Preserve community stories for future generations
Continue to grow as new contributions are added
Provide a lasting resource for schools, researchers, and residents
The digital archive ensures that the voices of the Alma Estate remain accessible long after the project ends.
Community Celebration
The project will conclude with a community celebration event, bringing residents, contributors, partners, and supporters together. This event will:
Celebrate the shared achievements of the project
Create space for storytelling, reflection, and connection
Acknowledge everyone who contributed to the project
Project Legacy
This project is about more than a single moment in time. Its legacy is a lasting community resource and a shared sense of ownership over local history.
The legacy includes:
A digital archive of local stories and memories
Stronger connections between residents old and new
Increased confidence and pride in local identity
A model for future community-led heritage projects in Ponders End
By capturing lived experience and preserving it in accessible ways, the project ensures the story of the Alma Estate continues to be told, valued, and passed on for generations to come.
Let's Talk
info@mywellbeingspace.org.uk
