1960s Exhibition Prompts Mothers' Reunion

A new exhibition in the People's Gallery at Nottingham Castle will reunite a group of mums with the woman who offered them a lifeline over forty years ago.The Story of The Croft exhibition, funded by the Heritage Lottery, showcases the stories of women who lived in a pioneering Nottingham housing scheme for 'unsupported' mothers, which was set up in 1966 by working journalist and mother-of-three Ruth Johns.

Now Heritage founders Emma Golby-Kirk and her mother Barbara Reed, who lived at The Croft in 1972, have made it their mission to find other women who lived at The Croft with their babies and, with the help of half a dozen dedicated volunteers, they have recorded their recollections.

No two women's stories are the same, but one common theme that has emerged from all the interviews is the positive impact that living at The Croft made in their lives.

Ruth Johns, now in her late seventies, is aiming to attend the exhibition launch event at mid-day on Friday 16 November. A dozen or so former 'Croft mums' are eagerly awaiting the chance to thank her in person for the 'safe haven' she offered them at a time of great need, giving them a chance to build a positive future for themselves and their - now grown - babies.

A Volunteer's Story By Anna Rogala

As a Mapperley resident with a passion for volunteering, I was intrigued to hear about the Children of The Croft Oral History Project, run by Now Heritage C.I.C.

A fellow student on my Creative Writing MA who is also a member of the Oral History society, saw an appeal for volunteers and thought the project would be right up my street. It literally was – I live a stones throw from The Croft, Alexandra Park, which in the 1960s and 70s was a pioneering housing scheme for mothers and their babies. At a time when young single mums had little choice but to give their newborns up for adoption, the Home Office described the housing charity, run by Family First, as “a revolutionary idea.”      

In March 2012, I joined a dozen-strong project team for a three-day training session, with Now Heritage’s Creative Director Emma Golby-Kirk and her mum, Business Director Barbara Reed.  In 1972, Barbara gave birth to Emma shortly after moving into The Croft. 40 years later, Emma began the ambitious venture of tracing former Croft mums to record and collate their oral histories. That’s where the volunteers’ different strengths came into play – a variety of knowledge and experience across a range of subjects including history, archiving, and photography enabled us to tackle the project with confidence. 

Given my background in journalism, I have focused mainly on conducting oral history interviews. It has been fascinating to hear the diverse stories of numerous former residents, and heartwarming to discover what a positive impact The Croft had at a critical time in women’s lives, offering a secure foundation for them to get back on their feet and provide the best future possible for their babies. Many women reflected that only with hindsight did they recognise that an experience which seemed “normal” back then was in fact exceptional, given the heartache of other young single pregnant mums at that time in history. One particularly memorable interview was with Ruth Johns, founder of The Croft and subsequent director of Family First. I was greatly inspired by her vision and commitment to the scheme, which changed the lives of hundreds of young mums and their babies.

Attitudes to young parenthood have changed dramatically since the 1960s. Although The Croft is a distant memory for many, it is hoped that this project will not only preserve those memories, but help stimulate debate among today's young people about our society's current culture and the experiences of young parents across several generations.

All the project’s recordings and transcripts will be stored in the Local Studies Library and the Nottinghamshire Archives, with an exhibition staged at Nottingham Castle Museum from November to January. A launch event will take place at the Castle on Friday 16 November 2012.