We were delighted to host the Kent Refugee Action Network’s 2025 AGM in the Templeman Library last week, after which KRAN was able to celebrate the launch of their oral history project – Family Matters.

KRAN Oral History Archive displayed on the Special Collections and Archives Listening Station – reading to cut the ribbon!

Family Matters was a collaboration between KRAN, a local charity which supports unaccompanied young asylum seekers and refugees, and Oral History Consultant Anna Cole. The project started in 2023, KRAN’s 20th anniversary, and Youth Ambassadors from KRAN recorded interviews with KRAN staff, volunteers and service users.

The recorded interviews are being digitally preserved as part of the University of Kent’s Special Collections and Archives. We have also been working with student and staff volunteers at the University to transcribe the oral history interviews and produce interview summaries, and this project will continue throughout 2025.

The recorded interviews and transcripts will provide a valuable resource to those interested in KRAN’s history, the stories of refugees who have stayed or lived in Kent, and the stories of those who work for charities or directly with young asylum seekers and refugees to provide help, advice and support.

KRAN CEO Razia Shariff says: “The project captures a living legacy of our creation and evolution, showcasing the resilience and dedication of our trustees, volunteers and staff.

“It offers a unique insight into how a community group has met challenges and stayed true to its mission of supporting vulnerable young refugees.

“I am delighted these stories will be safely preserved and accessible for future generations.”

For further information about the project – see KRAN’s website: https://kran.org.uk/lateststories/heritage-project-really-matters

The Family Matters Oral History Project was made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We are currently working on making the recordings available for research, and they will be available at the University of Kent’s Special Collections and Archives reading room, which is open by appointment only from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Friday (email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk) The archive will also be made available online later this year.

Youth Ambassadors and interviewees involved in the KRAN Family Matters Oral History Project (Copyright Tim Stubbings)

Visit our new exhibition in the Templeman Gallery showcasing the Magnificent! Spectacular! David Drummond Pantomime Collection

• Templeman Gallery, Templeman Library, First Floor, A Block
• Running from December 2024 to 14th March 2025 

The David Drummond Pantomime collection is a treasure trove of fascinating material that highlights the unique British pantomime tradition from 1800 to the early 21st century. The exhibition revealed the incredible programmes, posters, photographs, scripts and other extraordinary items, telling the story of the history of pantomime from the early days of the Commedia dell’Arte to the modern extravaganza we know today. See our online exhibition pages here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/library-it/special-collections/our-exhibitions/pantomime

A selection of programmes from the David Drummond Pantomime Collection

In 2022 Special Collections and Archives were awarded a grant from the Archives Revealed programme to catalogue the David Drummond Pantomime Collection. Archives Revealed is a funding partnership between The National Archives, The Pilgrim Trust and The Wolfson Foundation.

Our project – Oh Yes It Is! – was dedicated to getting this collection catalogued and available to researchers and members of the public with an interest in pantomime.

Between 2022 and 2023 the Project Archivist, Daniella Gonzalez, began the mammoth task of establishing order, listing everything in the collection (as far as possible!), and creating detailed catalogue records for a large part of the collection.

In the course of our research into this collection over the last few years we have made some remarkable discoveries!  One example is this wonderful self portrait of Dan Leno created for the matron of a home where he was recuperating after suffering from a period of poor mental health in 1903.

David Drummond Pantomime Collection, University of Kent

It was not long after his performance in Mother Goose at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and the drawing shows Leno’s transition in character from the old and homely Mother Goose into a glamorous 16 year old, an event that took place after the titular character was immersed in a magic pool. He notes on the page that the transition time for the costume change was 6 minutes. Leno returned to panto in the 1903/4 season, starring in Arthur Collins’ Humpty Dumpty at Drury Lane, but sadly died not long after in October 1904.

To see this item and many more, visit the Magnificent! Spectacular! Pantomime exhibition in the Templeman Library. The exhibition opened in December 2024 and will run until the 14th March 2025.

Click here to see the exhibition featured in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine! 

Guided Tours! 

You can also book a guided tour of the exhibition on one of the following dates. Please contact us on specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book your place.

• Thursday 23rd January – 12.30pm
• Tuesday 28th January – 12.30pm
• Thursday 30th January – 12.30pm
• Monday 3rd February – 12.30pm
• Wednesday 26th February – 12.30pm