As the dust settles after a whirlwind of 550 days of events and activities themed around Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the team behind the project has released a report and video highlighting the achievements of the project for everyone to see.
Over the 18 months, the project has delivered inspiring activities for over 6,400 students from 44 different schools; offered over a hundred events and activities – from heritage walks to talks about sex in Tudor times; organised a parade involving over 350 primary school pupils; awarded almost £30,000 of grants to community groups; and given hundreds of secondary school pupils an insight in to careers across different sectors represented in Ipswich.
Thanks to the team at Suffolk Archives, the centerpiece of the 18 months was an exhibition entitled ‘Wolsey’s Ipswich’ at The Hold, which displayed materials ranging from a hat once owned by Cardinal Wolsey to publicity materials from a 1930s pageant about the great man. These displays were complemented by a touring version of the exhibition, which gave a snapshot of the main one and visited large public events across the borough, including Latitude festival. Together the two exhibitions and associated events attracted almost 14,000 people.
All of these achievements and so much more are now recorded for posterity in the ten-minute video available on You Tube and a 90-page illustrated report.
The Thomas Wolsey 550 project was the brainchild of Ipswich Central which worked with partners from across local councils, businesses and colleges and the university to bring the idea to life. Thanks to support from those founding partners and almost £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, their investment has done wonders to help celebrate Ipswich’s incredible heritage while Wolsey’s story provided inspiration for thousands of Ipswich school pupils.
Lee Walker, CEO of Ipswich Central said: “The film is a joyful, uplifting record of an incredible 18 months and the statistics in the report really pack a punch for what has been achieved in a relatively short space of time. I’d like to thank all the partner organisations which came on board in so many different ways to contribute to the success.
This project has given us a rich insight into the perceptions our audience holds about Ipswich, what aspects of our heritage are truly valued, and what local people think can be improved. We always saw the Thomas Wolsey 550 project as the first phase of a much grander, longer-term heritage initiative and the insights gained in the last 18 months will be invaluable as we start to prepare the plans and seek the funding to bring that to life.”
The Thomas Wolsey 550 project included a busy education programme working with all schools across Ipswich to use Wolsey’s life story to inspire and raise the aspirations of students. Wolsey was born to relatively poor parents in the centre of Ipswich, yet through study and hard work, he rose to become one of the most powerful and wealthy men in Europe. From creating their own version of Tudor Ipswich using a popular digital gaming platform, to attending careers workshops illustrating what it’s like to work in the legal profession, thousands of students have gained new skills, knowledge and aspirations.
A grant from Suffolk County Council’s £2 million Ipswich Investment fund is enabling this ground-breaking programme for schools to continue until the end of March 2025.
As well as the evaluation report and film, another video has also been produced as a finale to the project. This was shot at the Ipswich Mayor’s Wolsey 550 themed Civic Ceremony in October and features the chair of the Wolsey 550 project Terry Hunt talking about what the project has achieved and the next steps.
Summing up the 18-month programme, Thomas Wolsey 550 Chairman Terry Hunt said: “Quite simply, this has been one of the best projects I’ve ever been involved in. With a dedicated team of just four people, supported by 74 volunteers and over 60 partners organisations and associates, the outputs I’ve seen have gone way beyond our expectations.”
The outputs from the past 550 days will now form the foundation for plans to seek funding for a much larger heritage project for Ipswich with an application for lottery funding expected to be ready before next summer.
For further information visit the dedicated Thomas Wolsey 550 website: www.thomaswolsey550.co.uk
Image above shows Wolsey’s Big Huzzah in Ipswich Town Centre on 4 July 2024, image taken by: OC Photography.
