Locals contribute to time machine archive

Intergenerational stories and creative projects in South Westmeath and across the wider region are displayed on the new National Community Time Machine website launched on November 24.

The Community Time Machine initiative is an age-friendly cross-generational community archive project designed to connect young people with their older neighbours through a series of facilitated interviews, art projects and photography.

Over the past several months, community groups from South Westmeath took part in this exciting creative archive.

The work of these participants including interviews and creative responses which paint a picture of Westmeath’s community spirit, past and present, are displayed in a new digital archive at https://timemachine.neighbourhoodnetwork.ie/.

This initiative has been supported by Age Friendly Ireland, Westmeath County Council, Creative Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The archive has offered communities a chance to connect in a safe, supportive and creative way during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Athlone community, participant Carmel Devaney said: “Community means so much to me and even more since living through this pandemic.” Largely that is what this archive is about - connecting communities and encouraging people to learn from and support one another.

Neighbourhood Network has launched this project alongside seven other counties on the National Time Machine website including Donegal, Longford, Clare, Cavan, Kilkenny, Kildare, Meath and Dún Laoghaire.

A Neighbourhood Network came from the team behind Street Feast, a national neighbourhood street party event to celebrate community.

Founded in 2009 in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, Neighbourhood Network (trading as Street Feast CLG) inspires neighbours to connect by providing them with the support and tools to organise community building activities.