Snibston kicks-off the new year
with 125 years of Leicester City FC exhibition

The new year is here and Snibston is heading for the top of the tables as it sets to launch its new exhibition ‘From Shed to Stadium – 125 years of Leicester City Football Club’.

Working in partnership with the club and its historian, John Hutchinson, museum staff have selected the cream of memorabilia, photographs and stories to show to fans across the county. The exhibition forms part of the club’s 125 celebrations and will be supported by a series of talks and events, also at Snibston.

Back in December, John Hutchinson invited fans to remember happy times, and the best ever matches, during a reminiscence workshop held at Snibston. People from across the county came to share their fond memories and to meet the team responsible for the exhibition. Some even allowed their memories to be recorded for the club’s archives so a legacy could be left for future fans.

John Hutchinson, LCFC archivist and history expert, said “The reminiscence workshop was a great success. I met some very interesting people with wonderful stories to tell, and I thank them for making the effort to attend. I do hope they will came back and see the exhibition this month; it’ll be a real treat for them.”

The Reminiscence Workshop was the second event as a prelude to the actual exhibition and followed a Memorabilia Workshop, held back in October, from which some items were actually selected for display in the exhibition.

Ernie White, Leicestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Museums, said: “This exhibition will be a wonderful start to 2010; something to really look forward to. The council and Snibston are delighted to be part of the 125 celebrations and we hope that fans will come along and see the exhibition and enjoy what’s on show.

Football is about people and communities, so just think who has been involved during the last 125 years – the number of families and supporters’ clubs, and of course, local players and its employees – they have all made a difference to this great football club. It really is something for people to celebrate across the whole county.”

The two-month exhibition, From Shed to Stadium – 125 years of Leicester City Football Club, will run from 16th January until 21st March 2010. To be held in the free-to-view Community Gallery, it will showcase football strips, iconic objects and photographs reflecting the history of the club which was founded in 1884.

A series of supporting events have been planned during the next few months and fans are invited to take part.

John Hutchinson will be holding a series of free talks which will give fans the chance to learn even more about the club’s history and to ask questions.

Leicester Fosse – 16th January, 1pm
Promotion Seasons – 6th February, 1pm
Cup Finals – 20th February, 1pm
Memorabilia – 6th March, 1pm

For younger fans, Snibston and the club have co-ordinated a series of LCFC in the Community Skills Workshops during February and March, which will enable children to learn from professional coaches.

Further information on all events can be obtained by calling Snibston on 01530 278 444.

Snibston is now appealing for knowledgeable fans to help with the exhibition through a monitoring role – to be on hand to assist with visitor queries and to keep vigilant over the more valuable items on display. It is an opportunity for life-long followers of the club to gain a sense of ownership over the exhibition and anniversary celebrations.

People wishing to volunteer should contact Amanda Hanton, at Snibston, on 01530 278 444.

A full agenda for Snibston in 2010

Snibston staff are busier than ever as they pull together a fantastic selection of events, exhibitions and activities marked on its 2010 calendar.

Having reopened its doors for the new year on Saturday, the museum has kick-started its schedule with an exhibition celebrating 125 years of Leicester City Football Club.

A partnership between the club and Leicestershire County Council, the exhibition displays memorabilia, photographs, strips and stories from the club’s beginning as Leicester Fosse, through to the current day. The free exhibition is supported by a series of free talks from club historian, John Hutchinson, and football skills workshops for children. The exhibition runs until 21st March.

Bringing some glamour to Coalville in the spring is the ‘Starstruck’ exhibition.
A stunning display of 50 original costumes from some of the most-loved, and celebrated, performances from stage and screen, the exhibition is a must for people of all ages. It is accompanied by a terrific programme of talks during the exhibition which runs from 29th March – 27th June.

In-keeping with the theme of fashion is the ‘In Sheep’s Clothing’ exhibition which launched back in November. In place until 16th May, the exhibition showcases the talents of 2nd year students from Nottingham Trent University and celebrates a strong working partnership between Snibston, the university, Next PLC, The Woolmark Company and two Savile Row tailors: Gieves and Hawk and Henry Poole.

Taking over from ‘In Sheep’s Clothing’ is an exhibition from the Second Turning Textile Group. Inspired by the displays in Snibston’s Fashion Gallery and the museum’s archaeology and natural history collections, the group will showcase its textile pieces in the Changing Room at Snibston from Sunday 29th May until 7th November. Free entry to the Fashion Gallery is available on Wednesdays, two hours before closing.

Other exhibitions to look out for this year are ‘Taking to the Road’ (1st May – 27th June) which looks at the long history of the County’s roads, and in particular at the work of the County Council since 1888; the King Edward VII Art Show (24th March – 26th April), an annual display of student’s work from Coalville’s local community school; and of course, The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition – the official display of colourful and intriguing images from the National History Museum which celebrates nature at its best (25th September – 31st October).

Snibston aims to provide activity, education and fun for people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Its events for 2010 include:

A Transport Festival (16th May) which celebrates transport throughout history to the present day, and into the future. Most modes of transport will be represented with local partners contributing to the exhibits and information available. There will be activities for children, music from costumed organ grinders and, offering rides along the railway, an historic steam engine which will visit Snibston for the weekend.

Annual Miners’ Gala (11th September). Free for all, this community-focussed family day is filled with music, displays and traditional fare. It’s a true celebration of Snibston’s heritage.

National Family Week Picnic (31st May). A national event, promoted by National Family Week, the picnic is one of many to be held across the country. Snibston has been selected to be the flagship venue for the East Midlands and is pleased to be offering the kind of fun and games that underpin the importance of spending time together as a family.

Mad Science and Spooky Science. Engaging children and bringing science to life is Mad Science, a stage show full of explosions, experiments and theatre. With two showings for 2010, one during National Science and Engineering Week on 20th March, and Spooky Science at Halloween, the show is educational but fun and will really capture the imagination of your little Einsteins.

In-keeping with the theatrical fun is this year’s pantomime, Dick Whittington. Performed by Fun Factory Spotlight, the production will have laughs by the bucket load and boos and cheers galore. A real fun, festive show for families.

As a real community venue, Snibston also plans to hold its annual fireworks spectacular. This year, one of Leicestershire’s largest displays will fill the sky with colour on 6th November.

Partnerships are key for Snibston during 2010 and so, supporting the various exhibitions, events and the museum’s core collections, are a series of expert-led sessions.

Continuing the success of its Miners’ Morning which began back in October, a whole schedule of monthly talks has been planned, the first of which took place on Thursday 21st January. Each session is just £3.50 and includes refreshments. So far the sessions have been a real success and what better venue could there be for these interesting accounts of local heritage.

For the scientist in us all, Snibston is taking part in National Science and Engineering Week (12th – 21st March) – an annual event which promotes the importance of science and engineering and making it accessible to all. A series of talks, presentations and performances have been planned at Snibston, all by experts in their field and many of which are free.

David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing said: “It’s great to see Snibston has a full agenda for 2010. Snibston is a museum with something on offer for everyone, regardless of age or background and the planned events for this year clearly will not disappoint. There is a real community feel to Snibston and I am pleased to see the usual community-focussed activities are back on the calendar for this year, I would like as many people to go and visit these events and avoid the disappointment of missing out.”

For further information on any of these activities, talks and exhibitions, please call Sales and Enquiries on 01530 278 444.