Exploring & Belonging is a Migrant English Support Hub project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It brings together people with lived experience of forced migration to explore local areas and cultures, share their stories and build a sense of belonging.
Through creative and language-focused activities, participants have been exploring places and cultural practices that matter to them as heritage, researching the history of those places and practices, and creating exhibitions and new ESOL learning resources for others.
Participants researched the food history of Calderdale. They visited projects where food growing and sharing is practised – Todmorden Incredible Edible and Outback Community Garden.
They also researched the history of the co-operative movement in Calderdale. They visited Midgley Old Co-op.
In this exhibition, we hope to show that a focus on food production and buying has allowed participants to reflect on the connections between Calderdale’s culture and the food culture and traditions of their home countries, and thereby engender a new sense of belonging here.
Participants on the Exploring and Belonging project came from Sudan, Syria, Kurdistan, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, China, Guinea and Afghanistan.
Through learning about and visiting co-ops in Calderdale they made links with food growing/sharing and co-operative traditions in their own countries.
By visiting the Outback Community Garden, a farming couple from Sudan remembered how the co-operative culture in their community is helping young people to envisage a better future, despite the war.
Participants reflected on how learning about the history of Calderdale helps them to feel a sense of belonging. One participant said ‘I want to learn about Calderdale’s heritage because I live here’. Others said ‘…because I want to have conversations with others’, ‘…because I want to have a bigger knowledge and understanding’ and ‘…knowing about Calderdale is a recognition of its identity’.
The learning from this project has been that you can learn lessons from the heritage of the place that you find yourself in. The importance of community shops and gardens will be passed on to future generations in Calderdale.
Exploring and Belonging participants shared information about what food grows in their home countries.
They learned about the food cultures of older Calderdale, and made griddle oatcakes (havercakes) together.
Participants also learned about bottling and preserving vegetables, in Calderdale culture and cultures around the world.
Participants looked at old maps of Calderdale in the Local Studies section of the library.
Participants visited Midgley Old Co-op, which is now a community shop.
They visited the Outback Community Garden. This Sudanese couple were farmers back home
They visited Incredible Edible Todmorden and talked about what different herbs are good for.
The Exploring and Belonging project ended with a public stall and exhibition at Calderdale Food Gathering in September 2026.
We currently have exhibitions about the project at Halifax Central Library, the Birchcliffe Centre (Pennine Heritage) and Todmorden Information Centre. Please visit if you can, and don’t forget to give us feedback!
Very huge thanks to our partners and support organisations on this project, including St Augustine’s Centre, Calderdale Food Network, West Yorkshire Archive Service. Thanks to all the places we visited, including The Piece Hall, Borough Market, Outback Community Garden, King Cross Library, Midgley Community Shop, Incredible Edible Todmorden, Rochdale Pioneers Museum, Gibson Mill at Hardcastle Crags, and the Local Studies section at Halifax Central Library. Thanks also to Halifax Antiquarian Society for the use of old photos.