The Voices from the Mills project is based in Bolton, a town with a rich industrial heritage, particularly in the cotton industry. The project has involved young people who interviewed former workers in Bolton's cotton mills between 1939 and 1989.

These reminisences have been recorded onto video and are held as an archive at the North West Sound Archive in Clitheroe and a copy of them is held at Bolton Museum. Highlights of these interviews are available on the 'Video' page.

Educational materials have been developed from the archive, including a play and workships and are available for download on the 'Education' page.

The wider community benefits of the project include:

1) the preservation of the memories of the working lives of the former mill workers;

2) enabling those mill workers to make a contribution to public knowledge from their experience;

3) a public acknowledgement and tribute to the mill workers and of the contribution they all made to Bolton's social and economic development;

4) a resource for schools and the community of the valuable contribution the mill workers made to the industrial heritage of Bolton;

5) being able to act as a bridge between the young and old people, helping to overcome the generational divide.

The project operated between 2006 and 2008 and was launched on 15 December 2007 with an event held at the Phoenix, Bark St., Bolton featuring authentic Lancashire food, the first showing of the Voices from the Mills DVD and music from local band 'Trouble in t'mill'.

The Voices from the Mills project was managed by CommEnt and delivered in partnership with Open Frontiers Youth Project and Bolton Arts Information Network.