News Item

Project will explore Bootle’s jam-making heritage

Gateway Collective is awarded a £46,000 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to explore Bootle’s rich jam making heritage with ‘The Bootle Jam Factory’ Project.

Today, Gateway Collective has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £46,189 for an exciting heritage project, The Bootle Jam Factory, based in North Park Community Garden and Kitchen in North Park. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on the origins of Hartleys Jam in Bootle and how William Hartley looked after his employees, moving on to look at how local women made jam as part of the war effort in the 1930s and 40s.

Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will work in partnership with local people to research the influence of William Hartley in Bootle – exploring how his jam making funded his philanthropy and the creation of Hartleys Village. Using the beautiful space in North Park Community Garden participants with then move to growing, deciding together what fruits to plant to trial new jam recipes inspired by Harley and the army of women jam makers in World War Two. The final stage of the project will be cooking, working together to make jam and create delicious recipes from the produce grown. In each stage of the project findings will be shared through open days and events at North Park Community Garden where the group will gather, showcase what they have learned and share food and recipes.

Gateway Collective is an organisation that works with people in Bootle to increase well-being and build community using the tools of community gardening and growing. They have been making delicious jam and pickles from their produce since 2012 and dream of following in Hartleys footsteps. Ali Horton from Gateway Collective said, ‘We have been making jam since 2012 and working in North Park Community Garden since 2015. We are excited about this opportunity to bring our passions of gardening, jam and Bootle together to explore the difference William Hartley made to our town and region, looking at how he used his business for social good. We would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Lottery players for giving us the opportunity to explore a different way to do business’

Gateway Collective would love new people to get involved in this project either as researchers, growers, chefs or all 3! If this is you please get in touch by popping into North Park Community Garden, following Gateway Collective on social media or emailing info@thegatewaycollective.co.uk